||| FROM KYRA KINNAMAN for SJC HEALTH & COMMUNITY SERVICES |||
After more than a month of no new cases locally, San Juan County has three new cases of COVID-19. All three cases are breakthrough cases. This means that each person is fully vaccinated and it has been more than two weeks since the vaccine series was completed. All exposures came from outside the community and none of the recent exposures are related to another. After more than a month of no new cases locally, San Juan County has three new cases of COVID-19. There is one case on each of the following islands: Lopez, Orcas and San Juan.
Health Officer, Dr. Frank James, stated, “While it will be three to five weeks before genetic tests can show whether the current cases are the Delta variant strain, the fact that all three are breakthrough cases in fully vaccinated people, as well as the severity of the symptoms, is consistent in what we would expect to see with the Delta variant.” He also reminded the community that, “The vaccines for COVID-19 are incredibly effective. However, no vaccine is 100% effective at preventing illness in vaccinated people. This is true of all vaccines for all diseases. There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who will get sick, be hospitalized, or even die from COVID-19.” Asymptomatic infections among vaccinated people will also occur. Studies are still ongoing to understand the full scope of these possibilities.
The emergence of immunity-resistant variants of COVID-19, the relaxing of social distancing and masking and increased travel are all contributing to the national resurgence of the disease. In the last two weeks nationally cases have increased 126%, hospitalizations have increased 30%, and deaths have increased 23%. Unvaccinated individuals in the US are the primary driver for ongoing spread. Dr. James noted, “Vaccines remain the best way to protect against COVID, and even with breakthrough cases, vaccines reduce the severity of symptoms and hospitalizations. It is more important than ever for those who are not fully vaccinated to become so as soon as possible.”
Vaccines are still being administered in the county. Please click this link to see the providers on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan that are currently administering vaccines.
We know that this is not the good news that we have begun to grow accustomed to, but not unexpected. We anticipate ongoing sporadic cases will continue as islanders increase their activities. Therefore, even if you are fully vaccinated there are some precautions that we all can take to further protect yourself from infection:
- Limit travel. As we have seen with the recent cases, these exposures came from outside of the community. If you travel off island or host people from outside the community, understand that you are taking a risk.
- Limit socializing. The more people you are around the higher your exposure risk is. Although the masking ordinance has been lifted, if you are going to be around large groups of people consider masking up for your own safety and the safety of those around you.
- Do not expose yourself to those who are confirmed positive cases. If you know someone has been exposed to the virus or is a confirmed positive case, do not expose yourself until they are no longer infected.
We will reinstate weekly case updates until case trends change for the better. Be safe out there, islanders!
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
I’m glad to see this update, as rumors about these infections have been circulating for almost a week, and this largely confirms what I’ve heard.
Now the big question is: if these infections are indeed due to the Delta variant, are we experiencing community spread of this strain?
I’ve read British reports that double vaccination with an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer) is about 88% effective against Delta, but that is against serious illness, not against carrying the virus asymptomatically. I don’t have a number for the latter possibility, but it may be a lot lower.
Thus I’m going to keep wearing my mask in indoor public places — and recommend that others do likewise.
We’re not out of the woods just yet.
The COVID outbreak is not over! Breakthroughs in the vaccinated prove the point. Anyone led to believe vaccination is an end all be all and is operating under that false premise is endangering themselves and others. The outbreak among at least six of the vaccinated New York Yankees and the subsequent game cancellations, an outbreak among the Vaccinated Texas Dems, the outbreak of 12 vaccinated health care associates in Las Vegas, the pronounced outbreak of the vaccinated in Olympic Village and the South Africa Olympic Team are just a few examples of a Delta variant wrecking havoc on the world. Boris Johnson, in quarantine after exposure, eliminated all precautions. Now the US government is advising against travel to the UK as the number of cases among vaccinated and unvaccinated rise rapidly. Each time I walk into Island Market seeing the employees I admire and respect unmasked along with tourists from from across the globe I cringe knowing that we have all been lulled into a false sense of protection. Vaccination helps, an emphatic yes, but should we walk unmasked in a state of euphoric glee? I think not. With records numbers of tourists in our beloved islands and the recent local cases of COVID-19 among guests we must rethink politicians and their flaccid assumptions.
Thanks for verbalizing this, Tom. It needed to be said, and needs to be repeated. I still wear my mask in Island Market.
I have also been wearing my mask in Island Market.
Thank you for the update and everyone’s comments. I, too, am wearing a mask in our markets and at Brown Bear. I’m actually missing some of the signs suggesting to socially distance, too, while in lines or waiting in stores. For example, I don’t see any reason why 15 unmasked people need to be in line inside Brown Bear at one time when ten of them could just wait outside the door until the others come out—this would help to protect BB employees and other customers from exposure. Heck, I’d love that rule even without a pandemic. No matter how much I love a croissant peche, it’s uncomfortable to have strangers breathing down my neck.
And, thank you to everyone who could and did get vaccinated. The more people who are unvaccinated, the more opportunity the virus has to replicate and mutate into stronger strains.
OK – you have convinced me. Today I joined the mask-wearers when in closed areas. Our first known breakthrough cases – occurring on all three islands, within the same week, from separate off-island sources, when the COVID 19 variant is known to be increasing in all the rest of the US – is just too loud a signal for me to ignore. Thanks for all the your comments.
I join you in that decision, Molly.
I never stopped wearing my mask and expect to continue to wear it for a long time. Too many people coming here from off island bringing with them the Delta variant. Oh well. We just have to keep going on, no matter what. So wear your masks people.
I thank everyone who is wearing a mask. As an immunocompromised person, I do not know how much protection my vaccinations are giving me. The Delta variant makes this all much scarier.
And we just had a SECOND breakthrough case on Orcas Island, according to the most recent Health Department Covid report.
We probably shouldn’t be calling these “breakthrough cases”. With 90% – 94% efficacy based on clinical trial results and 88% efficacy based on real-world experience, it was always obvious that a certain percentage of vaccinated individuals would contract the virus. Not unlike the number of people who contract the flu every year despite vaccination. The key statistical analysis is to compare the number of hospitalizations and deaths which occur IN THE ABSENCE OF VACCINATION versus those which occur in the vaccinated population. This statistical comparison highlights an amazing reduction of death and hospitalizations among the baccinated population.
The Covid virus will continue to circulate because community spread was allowed to occur by our incompetent politicians.. How we choose to live with the virus will be a matter of personal choice. Some will choose to wear masks indefinitely, others wont’t. Wearing a mask doesn’t make you morally superior, despite the inference of many of these posts. Those who are immunocompromised or the vulnerable and aged should protect themselves. Let’s not act as though these so-called breakthrough cases are anything other than what statistical analysis predicts.
With few exceptions, public health officials from the CDC on down to local health officials define “breakthrough cases” as infections that occur to those who are fully vaccinated. For example, today’s release from the San Juan County Health Department states, “The county’s recent breakthrough cases (infections in vaccinated individuals) are showing similar viral behavior to the Delta variant.” Here’s the full statement, as published in “The Orcasonian”::
https://theorcasonian.com/sjc-joins-regional-effort-to-curb-rising-infection-rates-masks-recommended-indoors-for-all/
Whether for self-protection or protection of our fellow community members, or both, it recommends we go back to masking ourselves in indoor public spaces. As I had recommended in my first comment in this thread five days ago, and many agreed. No moralizing involved. Just reasonable pragmatism.
Paula Treneer is right. With only 88% efficacy, there are bound to be new Covid cases amongst the vaccinated. But to surmise that we are experiencing community spread of the Delta strain is fear-mongering. As with nearly all the previous Covid cases here, it is locals bringing it back from the mainland. That is where it has stopped. No community spread here.
No, Dan, that’s 88 percent effective against serious, symptomatic cases. Recent studies from Israel suggest vaccination’s effectiveness against mild and asymptomatic cases of the Delta variant could be as low as 39 percent. You need to get your numbers straight before making unfounded statements about “fear mongering.”