COVID-19 has been on a steep increase in Berrien County in recent weeks. During a Wednesday update with the Berrien County Health Department and Spectrum Health Lakeland, Berrien County Medical Director Rex Cabaltica said the percentage of tests coming back positive is now 11.5%.
“It’s primarily the Delta variant, which is probably twice as infectious, as well as a combination of that with relaxing a lot of the mitigation measures,” Cabaltica said.
Cabaltica said getting the numbers back down will require a return to caution, contact tracing, and more people getting vaccinated. Spectrum Health Lakeland CEO Loren Hamel said hospitalizations are up fourfold in the past month.
“They’re almost entirely the unvaccinated,” Hamel said. “Your protection if you’ve had a vaccination, even against this Delta strain, will lower your risk for hospitalization and death up to 25 times less. That’s a pretty significant reduction.”
With school starting, Cabaltica said masks would be wise, especially for the younger students who can’t get vaccinated. He’s also recommending distancing, cohorting, and sanitation for schools.
“We want to be very measured and help our school partners to make those decisions wisely,” Cabaltica said.
Hamel urged all who are eligible to get vaccinated against COVID. He said even if you don’t think you’re at risk, there are others around you who may be at risk. Berrien County’s vaccination rate is 55%.
