COVID-19 Increases in Poorly Vaccinated Areas of Apache and Navajo Counties | Latest news

A spike in new cases caused by the Delta variant prompted federal Disease Control Centers last week to add Apache and Navajo counties to a list of counties where self-vaccinated people should wear masks indoors.

The rapid expansion of the delta, a surge in poorly vaccinated areas, and worrying new research on the variant have led the CDC to reverse its previous guidelines that fully vaccinated individuals could safely remove their masks in most situations.

Navajo County reported 42 new cases and two deaths on Friday, according to the Arizona Department of Health website. The county reported the results of 222 new tests, 11% of which were positive.

Only 31% of residents are vaccinated, according to the state website. This apparently reflects vaccination rates outside the reserve as the Navajo reservation has a much higher vaccination rate. However, the state reported that only 80 other Navajo County residents were vaccinated as of Friday.

Apache County is doing a little better with 17 new cases reported Friday and no new deaths. The county reported 106 tests, 10% of which were positive. The state specifies the vaccination rate outside the reserve as only 18%.

Nationwide, Arizona reported 1,800 new cases and 15 deaths on Thursday. Arizona now has the 10th highest infection rate in the country, based on infections per 100,000.

The CDC has revised its recommendations for wearing masks with the spread of the Delta variant, as it is more than twice as easy to spread as the original variety. The agency had come to the conclusion that vaccinated people could do without masks even in crowded situations. Overall, however, Delta has led to an increase in the number of cases and an increase in “breakthrough infections” among those who have been fully vaccinated. People with such breakthrough infections are still far less likely to end up in hospital, but can still easily pass the virus on even if they have few symptoms.

The delta’s impact could be due to events like the super-spreader event in a linden dance hall, which reportedly contracted 24 out of 70 people in attendance – including perhaps nine people who were fully vaccinated.

As a result, the CDC is now encouraging people in areas with high rates of spread to wear masks again in public, especially in crowded situations. On Friday, Apache, Navajo and Gila counties were all on the list of high risk areas.

Most of the southern states, as well as Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, and half of New Mexico were all on the list of high-risk states covered by the Recommendation.

The recent surge is tantamount to a pandemic of the unvaccinated, CDC officials say – with the largest surge in cases in the states with the lowest vaccination rates.

However, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said the state will not allow mask mandates from cities or counties or school districts. He said state law also prohibits vaccine mandates or vaccination passports or school rules that distinguish between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not – like quarantines after exposure.

Children seem to be slightly more likely to become infected with Delta than the original strain, but they still have a relatively low risk of serous disease or hospitalization. Most students are not vaccinated, however, and studies show that schools in the community can create new clusters of cases – especially in areas with low overall vaccination rates.

Governor Ducey’s position at this point conflicts with the recommendation by the state Department of Health that it will follow CDC guidelines.

Department of Health spokesman Steve Elliott told the Arizona Republic that the state Department of Health now recommends that people wear masks and distance indoors, except for people they live with. In schools, everyone should wear masks – including students, staff and visitors, Elliot said.

The obvious conflict arises when State Health Director Dr. Cara Christ prepared to work in the private sector from August 27th.

In Arizona, only the counties of Cochise and Yuma currently have a sufficiently low infection rate not to be covered by the CDC’s mask recommendations.

Public health officials continue to strive to keep up with the changes in the virus as well as the latest research.

For example, a study in Israel concluded that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines offered less protection over time – which may mean people need a booster dose. Some medical experts have questioned this idea – especially since most areas of the world don’t have enough vaccinations even for the most at risk populations. The data presented by Moderna and Pfizer found that while the vaccines initially provided 95% protection against infection, they decreased to around 40% after almost a year. Fortunately, protection against serious illness and death remains virtually unchanged. It is possible that the Israeli numbers reflect the effects of the Delta and other variants. It is also possible that the results are skewed by the fact that the population at highest risk received the injection first. The observed decline in protection may therefore not apply to the entire vaccinated population. The small number of people vaccinated in the study also limits the conclusions you can draw from the results.

Researchers are also striving to understand the risk of breakthrough infections in those vaccinated, especially if it is one of the new, more contagious strains. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that people with high levels of virus-blocking antibodies after vaccination are much less likely to get a “breakthrough infection” later. The study focused on data from 11,500 fully vaccinated health workers in Israel. Extensive tests identified 39 who became infected after vaccination with all or only mild symptoms. About 20% still had some symptoms six weeks after being diagnosed. The study compared the workers who had a breakthrough infection with those who did not – and found a marked difference in the neutralizing antibodies.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have filed with the Federal Food and Drug Administration for booster vaccinations based on data showing that the protection of two-shot vaccines wears off over time. The vaccine manufacturers provided evidence that infection protection increased from 97% initially to around 84% six months later. Even so, the vaccine offered undiminished protection from serious illness, hospitalization, and death.

Other new evidence suggests that vaccinated people who develop a breakthrough infection can still easily transmit the virus to other, unvaccinated people – resulting in serious illness and death among those who are not vaccinated.

Now that the Delta strain has become the dominant strain in the United States – including Arizona – epidemiologists are doubling down on asking the public to get vaccinated – the best way to stop repetitive spikes and prevent the virus from spreading evolved into new, even more dangerous strains.

And that message is particularly urgent in the southern Apache and Navajo counties, with some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

Peter Aleshire covers county government and other issues for the Independent. He is the former editor of the Payson Roundup. Reach out to him at [email protected]