More Reasons To Just Say Yes

“If you’re vaccinated, you’re very unlikely to be hospitalized, need the ICU or die; and if you’re unvaccinated, that risk goes up substantially,” said Darryl Elmouchi, MD, President of Spectrum Health West Michigan. Find a vaccine near you at vaccine.gov.

Current COVID status via Health Dept. Stats and a link to an article by a West Mich. physician 

Ok, Near Northians, here is the latest COVID info from DHD#10.This week we are including a compelling piece describing the current situation in our local hospitals.
If you are among the folks who either don’t believe in getting vaxed or perhaps, despite a staggering number of COVID related deaths, remain steadfast in dismissing  the existence of this pandemic, what follows will likely not alter your views.
However, if you remain open minded about the validity of the vax and recognize the reality of this infectious scourge, we implore you to access this story.
With vaccination rates still low and outbreaks threatening to overwhelm hospitals and put all patients at risk, it’s a worthy read and a good take  on what worries one emergency physician:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/08/opinion/covid-michigan-surge.html

Sound like a familiar place to you?
It should.
Now combine the story with the recent stats found below and the percentage of hospitalizations among the unvaccinated found above  and you hopefully get the picture.

Get the Vax. 
Step up for yourself, your family, your neighbors and your community.
There are any number of reasons we’ve heard to not receive this poke that has provided some hope for a post- pandemic life.
But remember, you can feel free to get it and not tell your anti-vax friends, get it and continue to deny its efficacy, get it and maintain belief in any conspiracy theory out there you wish to be a part of, etc.
But for pity’s sake…
 Get the vax.
​
And now, back to this week’s stats from Health Department Epidemiologist Jordan Powell MPH:
As of today, all of our counties remain in the high transmission level categories. At the time of this email there are no known Omicron variants in our ten county jurisdiction. There are currently 580 confirmed Delta variants in our jurisdiction: 64 in Crawford, 7 in Kalkaska, 14 in Lake, 10 in Manistee, 111 in Mason, 97 in Mecosta, 37 in Missaukee, 41 in Newaygo, 87 in Oceana, and 112 in Wexford. Our hospitals continue to experience elevated capacity levels, as there are 18 COVID-19 inpatients in Munson Cadillac, 13 in Munson Grayling, 8 in Munson Manistee, 22 at Spectrum Health Big Rapids, 13 at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial, and 14 at Spectrum Health Ludington today. Below are graphics from the Munson and Spectrum System websites highlighting vaccination status of hospitalized patients both as of 12/7/21.