MARIA: THE DELTA VARIANT NOW ACCOUNTS FOR 83% OF NEW COVID CASES IN THE U.S. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. TODD ELLERIN, CHIEF OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT STHOU SHORE HEALTH. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THREE WEEKS AGO, THE CDC SDAI THE DELTA VARIANT WAS CAUSING ABOUT HALF OF L ALCASES NATIONALLY, SO A JUMP TO 83% IS A SHARP INCREASE. HOW DOES IT CHANGE THE RISK RIGHT NOW TO PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT VACCINATED? >> MARIA, YES, IT IS THE MAJORITY OF CASES RIGHT NOW, AND CASES HAVE CLIMBED. YESTERDAY THERE WERE 55,000 CASES IN THE U.S.,00 6 DEATHS, NUMBERS GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AND GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION IN MASSACHUSETTS, AS WELL. WE JUST HAVE TO DOUBLE DOWN AGAINST THE VIRUS. THAT MEANS TREND TO VACCINATE AS MANY PEOEPL AS POSSIBLE. IT’S NOT TOO LATE. I WOULD ASK PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T BEEN VACCINATED YET TO TRY TO ACCEPT TRUST OVER MISTRUST AND TO KWNO THAT THIS VACCINE REALLY CAN BE LIFESAVING. ED: WE’RE HEARING A LOT MORE ABOUT THESE RARE BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS, ESPECIALLY LOCALLY IN PLACES LIKE PROVINCETOWN. DOES THAT MEAN THE HEALTH RISK FOR VACCINATED PEOPLE IS INCREASING, O?TO >> WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS VARIANT IS THAT IT IS MORE CONTAGIOUS AND VACCIS NEHAVE REDUCED EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST INFECTION. YOU CAGEN T THE VIRUS ON THE BACK OF YOUR NOSE COME YOU CAN TRANSMIT IT TO HEOTR PEOE,PL BUT IF YOU’RE VACCINATED, THE RISK IS MUCH LESS. THE GOOD NEWS IS YOU ARE LESS LI GHTLY TOET G HOSPITALIZED, YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO GET SEVERELY ILL, YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO DIE. SO WE ARE HEARING MORE CASES — WE EXPECT TO SEE THAT. HOPEFULLY THOSE WILL NOT END UP IN THE HOSPITAL. MAA:RI I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVED YOU GET THE VACCINELE COME YOU GET BACK TO NORMAL, NO MASKS, NO STAY-AT-HOME ORDS,ER THEY ARE LIFTED, THERE ARE NO TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS. IT FELTOO GD, YOU THINK, GOOD, HERE WE GO, WE HAVE TURNED THIS CORNER –UT B NORMAL, IS IT FURTHER AWAY NO? — NOW? ARE YOU STILL CONFIDENT WE CAN GET THERE? >> D IO THINK WE CAN GET THERE. YOU ARE RIGHT. WE ARE NOT BACK TO NORMAL. THE RECENT RECURRENCES ARE DISCOURAGING. BUT REMEMBER, KIDS ARE GOING BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM. YES, THEY MAY BE GOING BACK INTO THE CLASSROOM WITH MASKS, MAYBE BOTH VACCINATED AND UNVACCINATED, BUT T IHINK THE ASCLSROOMS ARE OPEN, RIGHT? SO WE MAY BE MASKING MORE INDOORS, BUT HOPEFULLY THE REST AROUND — RESTAURANTS, GYMNASMSIU WILL BE OPEN AS WELL. SO I THINK THINGS ARE BETTER. I THINKHE T WORST I BSEHIND US. BUT WITH THAT SAID, WE HAVE TO BE REALISTIC. WE’VEEE SN IINT ISRAEL, THE U.K., NOW THE U.S. — THE DELTA VARITAN IS THAT CONTAGIOUS, AND WE ARE SEEING THE EFFECTS RIGHT NOW. ED: YOU’VE BEEN ON THE FRONTLINE OF THIS PANDEMIC SINCE DAY ONE. WHAT’S IT BEEN LIKE TO YOU — LIKE FOR YOU PERSONALLY? TO SEE CASE NUMBERS RISING AGAIN? I CAN HEAR CONCERNING YOUR VOICE AS I’M LISTENING TO YOU. >> A DEEP S — DEEP SIGH, ED, I NE MEDORE YOGA. I WANTED CASES TO GO TO ZERO IN THE U.S., IN MASSACHUSETTS, AND AYST THERE. WE TALKED ABOUT THE CAT AND MOUSE GAME, THAT IS WHAT WE ARE SEEING HERE. WE ARE GETTING PEOPLE VACCINATED, BUT THE VIRUS IS A SHAPE SHIFTING. FOR ME, I THINK THE KEY IS, IT JUSMAT KES ME WANT TO URGE PEOPLE TO PLEASE, WHEN YOU KNOW YOU HAVE THAT MOLECULAR SHIELD THAT CAN PROTECT AGAINST THE VIRUS, WHEN YOU KNOW THAT LFHA THE COUNTRY STILL IS NOT VACCINATED — ALMOST 30% OF ADULTS IN THE U.S. STILL ARE NOT VACCINATED, IT JUST MAKES ME WANT TO HELP THEM. I DON’T EXACTLY KNOW HOW TO DO IT AT THIS POINT. ED: THANKS FOR YOUR T

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Video: COVID-19 numbers in Massachusetts going in wrong direction with rise of delta variant

Updated: 5:07 PM EDT Jul 20, 2021

Dr. Todd Ellerin, of South Shore Health, says it is time to double down against the coronavirus with a “full-court press” to vaccinate as many people as possible.

BOSTON —

Dr. Todd Ellerin, of South Shore Health, says it is time to double down against the coronavirus with a “full-court press” to vaccinate as many people as possible.

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