PEORIA, Ill. — The Peoria City/County Health Department Thursday held a news briefing on COVID-19 in the tri-county area for the first time since ending the regular meetings.
Among the topics of conversation were back-to-school plans and the Delta variant of the virus.
Reditus Labs Wednesday reported a “significant increase” in Delta variant cases across Central Illinois.
Although the variant has been proven to be more transmissible between people, Dr. Douglas Kasper with the University of Illinois College of Medicine said vaccines remain effective.
“In areas where vaccination rate has not peaked at its potential highest number, the case rates of COVID-19 are re-emerging,” said Kasper. “This has to do with a Delta variant strain with increased transmission, especially in any person — of any age — who is not vaccinated.”
According to Kasper, increased case rates are concerning for people who cannot receive the shot, like children under 12 or those with other medical conditions.
“At this point, all three FDA approved vaccines provide high efficacy for preventing severe effects of COVID-19,” said Kasper. “If you have not received a vaccine, now is the time.”
Kasper said vaccinations are more important than ever as they provide more than 90% protection against severe illness from COVID-19.
According to Peoria City/County Health Administrator Monica Hendrickson, just .5% of new cases in Peoria County are among vaccinated individuals.
As Kasper mentioned, the vaccines are even more effective at preventing serious illness. In Peoria County, there have been zero admissions to the ICU among vaccinated people, according to Hendrickson.
