Here's What Coverage of the Delta Surge Gets Wrong—and Why It's Harmful

Meghan Fitzgerald, RN, MPH, DrPH, is an adjunct associate professor with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and a private equity investor. She has decades of experience working in the healthcare field, ranging from frontline patient care to advising prominent healthcare firms. Here, she shares her take on the implications of mixed Delta messaging for those who are still unvaccinated.

Out of the thousands who descended on the P-town party over the July 4th weekend, only four vaccinated folks ended up in the hospital andno one died.If no one was vaccinated, this story would have ended as badly as it was covered.

Why Are Some Vaccinated People Still Getting COVID-19?

What will it take to convert those on the fence? Three things:

Can Americans Handle Renewed COVID Restrictions?

In the meantime, misguided mandates and bad coverage will do nothing more than create further mistrust on the part of the unvaccinated while infuriating the vaccinated. Coronavirus is airborne and highly contagious, so a policy to have theunvaccinated use a mask in between bites of foodis not going to protect them from catching something as contagious as the chicken pox.

Still, remedial measures in COVID hotspots may be necessary, like asking those in high-risk, high-contact spots to show proof of vaccination. These tactics will be up to local leaders and employers.

Most infectious disease experts believe COVID-19will become endemic.This means we will continue to live with it, like the seasonal flu. The goal should be to render COVID-19 a public health nuisance for most people (like the common cold) using vaccines, not to continuously implement strategies that guarantee failure and public mistrust.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough case investigation and reporting.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Leading causes of death.Brown CM, Vostok J, Johnson H, et al.Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 30 July 2021. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7031e2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID data tracker weekly review.Phillips N.The coronavirus is here to stay — here’s what that means.Nature. 2021;590(7846):382-384. doi:0.1038/d41586-021-00396-2

5 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough case investigation and reporting.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Leading causes of death.Brown CM, Vostok J, Johnson H, et al.Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 30 July 2021. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7031e2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID data tracker weekly review.Phillips N.The coronavirus is here to stay — here’s what that means.Nature. 2021;590(7846):382-384. doi:0.1038/d41586-021-00396-2

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough case investigation and reporting.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Leading causes of death.Brown CM, Vostok J, Johnson H, et al.Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 30 July 2021. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7031e2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID data tracker weekly review.Phillips N.The coronavirus is here to stay — here’s what that means.Nature. 2021;590(7846):382-384. doi:0.1038/d41586-021-00396-2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough case investigation and reporting.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Leading causes of death.

Brown CM, Vostok J, Johnson H, et al.Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 30 July 2021. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7031e2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.COVID data tracker weekly review.

Phillips N.The coronavirus is here to stay — here’s what that means.Nature. 2021;590(7846):382-384. doi:0.1038/d41586-021-00396-2

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