Unvaxx’d At Risk As Delta Variant Spreads

The rise of the Delta variant across Connecticut and the country should most worry one population in particular: those who continue to hold out on getting vaccinated.

Yale New Haven Health Chief Clinical Officer Thomas Balcezak offered that assessment Wednesday afternoon during the regional hospital system’s latest bi-weekly Covid-19 virtual press conference.

Balcezak was asked about a state and nationwide rise in Covid-19 infections in recent weeks. Connecticut reported on Wednesday having a daily positivity rate of 1.28 percent, which is up from around 0.5 percent two weeks ago. Parts of Missouri and Arkansas are currently seeing their worst Covid outbreaks since last winter. And, across the whole country over the past 14 days, the total number of positive cases per day has doubled, Balcezak said.

In Connecticut and elsewhere, this rise in Covid cases is almost certainly due to the more infectious Delta variant of the novel coronavirus, he said. ​“What we are hearing is about 50 percent of all positives” in Connecticut are due to the Delta variant. ​“Until and unless a more infectious variant emerges, we anticipate that the percentage that is Delta will continue to grow.”

“The good news is that the vaccine is still protective against the Delta variant, and particularly against serious disease from the Delta variant.” While a very small number of people who are vaccinated against Covid may contract the Delta variant, he said, the chance of serious disease or death is ​“much much much less than if they are not vaccinated.”

What about for those who still have not gotten a shot?

Those are the people who really need to be worried. Because as the more infectious Delta variant spreads, more people who remain unvaccinated will get sick, hospitalized, and potentially die from contracting Covid, Balcezak predicted.

Balcezak said that Connecticut’s vaccination levels are high enough that he does not anticipate the state having to go into any kind of lockdown similar to what took place at the beginning of the pandemic.

But, he said, ​“there will be outbreaks, particularly among groups that are not yet vaccinated.”

By far the most important step people can take to protect themselves and their communities from this resurgent strain of the novel coronavirus, Balcezak said, is to get vaccinated.

According to the New York Times, 68 percent of Connecticut residents of all ages have gotten at least one Covid vaccine shot, and 62 percent are fully vaccinated.

No Need For Boosters … ​“At This Moment”

Balcezak was also asked about the recent debate around Covid vaccination booster shots.

The international drug manufacturer Pfizer has been sounding the alarm for nationwide booster shots in the near future. Top infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci has said that a booster is not yet needed … at this moment, based on the current level of data the federal government has on how long immunity lasts from the current vaccines.

Balcezak sided with Fauci, saying that vaccinated people do not need a booster … yet.

But, he said with confidence, everyone will ultimately need to get a booster shot, because the immunity currently conferred by the vaccine will eventually wane. Whether that booster shot will come this fall, or next year, or sometime after that is still yet to be determined, he said.

“There is no doubt in my mind that we will some day need a booster,” because the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19 ​“isn’t leaving the human population anytime soon.

Vax Mandate Going Into Effect

Balcezak, YNHH CEO Marna Borgstrom, and YNHH top spokesperson Vin Petrini also shared new details on Wednesday about the regional hospital system’s vaccination mandate policy for its 28,000-plus employees.

They said that all employee and contractors who work at the regional hospital system, regardless of whether or not they do patient-facing medical work, must get their first Covid-19 vaccine shot by the end of August, and their second vaccine shot by the end of September.

If employees refuse to get vaccinated by those deadlines, they will receive ​“a series of warnings, suspension, and ultimately termination,” Petrini said.

The hospital will allow employees to opt out of getting vaccinated if they have a valid ​“spiritual or medical” reason.

What does that mean?

Balcezak said the process for determining which spiritual or medical reasons are valid will be similar to ones the hospital system currently honors for its flu vaccine mandate.

If someone has a strongly held spiritual belief that they believe precludes them from getting this vaccination, he said, they can fill out an application that will be reviewed by the hospital system’s occupational health, human resources, and spiritual care departments. A review panel will ultimately decide whether or not to approve that application.

Balcezak also said that people who have previously had severe allergic reactions to an element in the Covid-19 vaccine, then they will not need to get it. And if they are currently undergoing chemotherapy or otherwise have a short-term suppressed immune system, then, with doctor’s advice, an employee can delay getting a vaccination until their immune system is back at full force.

“There are very few medical reasons to not get vaccinated,” Balcezak said. ​“Our role as caregivers, our role is to care of our community.” Thus the system-wide vaccination mandate.

Roughly 81 percent of hospital employees are currently fully vaccinated, Balcezak said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that YNHH employees must get their first shot by the end of September and their second by the end of October. The correct deadlines are first shot by end of August and second shot by end of September.

Click on the Facebook Live video below to watch Wednesday’s presser in full.