Infections from the highly contagious Omicron variant are less than half of what they were a month ago. But there's still plenty of disease. The state this week has reported 20 to 30,000 cases a day. Texas reported over 55 thousand a day during the second and third weeks of January.
Dr. Mike Ragain, Chief Medical Officer at University Medical Center in Lubbock says the only thing that will help is getting more people vaccinated. But there's too much misinformation.
"I've had lots of conversations with patients and families about that. Even patients who, talking to their families, who have succumbed that were unvaccinated. When I had the conversations they said 'we don't believe in the vaccinations.'"
He says their reason is misinformation or exaggeration of something. Recently a patient told him a family member had a reaction to the vaccine. "He was generalizing that to say nobody should get it. That's not how statistics work." He says misinformation is leading people down a path where they can protect themselves and loved ones from a disease that could kill them.
Nearly 63 percent of eligible Texans, those five and up, have had two doses of the vaccine. The number in Lubbock county is 50%.
"It really is puzzling to me that we have a wonderfully safe and effective vaccine and many people are choosing not to accept that. If you presented a treatment or prevention on anything else it seems like people would be flocking to it."
The fewer people who are vaccinated, the greater the chances of new variants as Covid reproduces. BA.2, an Omicron related variant is spreading in Europe and some parts of the US.
University Medical Center and the Lubbock Health Department are doing a study. He says there is a belief that the rate of death in their community is largely driven by unvaccinated patients. They are looking at the last 100 deaths in Lubbock County. The health department will use this as marketing campaign to urge people to get the shots.
"I think that's another route to go to convince people. I'm not sure what else we can do, honestly. If anybody can come up with anything, I'm all ears. Because I do believe vaccinating broadly is going to make a difference. There are people we don't have among us today in the United States that could be here if they had been vaccinated. That's a tragedy."
He says 80% to 85% percent of hospitalized Covid patients are unvaccinated. Before Omicron, the number was 90% to 95%. Now they are seeing some people with other diseases who have been vaccinated being admitted with Covid. The vaccine is less effective at preventing infection from Omicron but is highly effective against severe disease. Ragain says the percentage of beds being used by adults with Covid is in "the 30s."
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