'It is spreading very rapidly:' Memark urges vaccinations, masking up as Delta variant surges

Aug. 3—Cases of COVID-19 are at their highest level since March as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread.

Cobb-Douglas Public Health Director Dr. Janet Memark told the MDJ Monday that the rise in cases that began in early July is mostly attributable to the variant. It's estimated that Delta accounts for more than 80% of COVID-19 casesin the state, she said.

The people at greatest risk are the unvaccinated, Memark said. Though some vaccinated people have become infected, most infected people — estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be upward of 75% — have not had a shot. Delta is believed to be more than twice as contagious as the original COVID-19 strain.

"There have been some breakthrough cases reported in vaccinated people, but the number of them getting hospitalized or dying from the virus is extremely rare when compared to the unvaccinated," Memark said. "This data shows us that the vaccines are still doing what they were meant to do."

Vaccinations, she said, help protect older people and people with chronic medical conditions.

About 357,500 Cobb Countians are fully vaccinated, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. About 53% have had at least one dose and 48% are fully vaccinated. Cobb is one of just nine Georgia counties where a majority of residents have gotten at least one shot.

Per CDC data, Cobb outperforms the state of Georgia, where 46.3% of people have gotten at least one shot, but lags behind the national average of 57.8%.

Could the new spike in cases lead more people to get vaccinated? Perhaps, Memark said, though that hasn't been seen yet on a local level.

"We have seen a decrease in numbers getting vaccinated for a while," she said. "Other areas of the U.S. that have low vaccination rates and are experiencing surges from the Delta Variant are seeing upticks in the numbers getting vaccinated."

The CDC updated its mask guidance last week, saying that everyone, regardless of their vaccination status, ought to wear masks indoors in public, if they live in an area of substantial or high transmission.

The CDC classifies Cobb — and the vast majority of Georgia counties — as experiencing high transmission, defined as places with more than 100 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period.

Cobb has averaged 122.9 cases per day over the past week, per DPH data. In June, the lowest period since the pandemic started, the county averaged between 10-20 cases per day. At the worst period, in January, Cobb saw more than 500 cases per day.

Deaths, which typically lag behind cases, remain low at 0.3 per day, on average. The worst periods of the pandemic saw five to six deaths per day in Cobb.

The PCR test positivity rate in Cobb averaged 10.8% over the past week, per DPH data. That's the highest average since early February. The peak of the pandemic in January saw positivity rates reach about 18%.

"It (Delta) is spreading very rapidly in the community," Memark said. "You are at especially high risk if you are unvaccinated and are not wearing your mask in public places. We urge citizens to get vaccinated or at least wear your mask in public places and indoors for the time being until this surge passes."

Here's a look at Cobb County and state coronavirus numbers reported Monday, and how they compare to Friday's data. All information comes from the Georgia DPH.

A Cobb-Douglas Public Health report, including data on how the coronavirus is affecting different ZIP codes, genders and ages, is available at reports.mysidewalk.com/17554e75c1#c-452027.

For the Georgia DPH's full report, visit dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report.

National data can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website at cdc.gov.