Kerr county confirms first case of COVID-19 Delta variant
Peterson Health announced in a July 2 press release they have confirmed the first known case of the COVID-19 Delta Variant in Kerr County.
The CDC has identified four total COVID-19 variants in the United States, the other three being Alpha, Beta and Gamma, each seeming to spread quicker and easier than COVID-19 and featuring symptoms that tend to be more severe.
Bandera County Emergency Management Coordinator Carey Reed said Bandera County has not seen any cases of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
Pam Burton, Infection Prevention RN for Peterson Health, recommends following CDC guidelines, especially throughout the busy summer.
Bill Beall, P.A., Primary Care Provider at the Arthur Nagel Com munity Clinic in Bandera, echoed Burton’s sentiments, adding vaccination is essential to combating COVID-19’s spread.
“The relief and freedom of having been fully vaccinated is remarkable,” said Beall. “One no longer fears the consequences to one’s self, one’s family; financial, emotional, social, employment; of contracting Covid; becoming sick, being hospitalized, dying.”
Vaccines are currently being offered at no cost on a walk-in basis at CVS Pharmacy on Hwy 16 in Bandera.
Upon final vaccination, CVS will reward customers with a shopping voucher for 20 percent off, according to CVS’ website.
“The side effects of being vaccinated are a sore arm, a little flu-like symptoms. The serious side effects of COVID are hospitalization and death,” said Beall.
The first ever instance of the Delta variant was detected in India in October 2020. It is currently the most dominant strain of COVID-19 in Britain, with over 63,000 cases reported in that country as of last month.
In the United States, the first Delta variant case was reported in March of this year. It accounts for the highest number of cases in California and appears to be spreading in Texas.
In a recent interview with KSAT 12, San Antonio City Manager Colleen Bridger says the Delta variant accounts for more than 20 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Bexar County.
As of Monday, there were eight active cases of COVID-19 in Bandera County, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
DSHS previously sent regular updates regarding COVID-19 statistics to Bandera County Emergency Management, but Reed says the department is halting that practice to focus efforts on vaccination.
Going forward, COVID-19 statistics can still be viewed on DSHS’ website.
More information about the identified COVID-19 variants can be found at www.cdc.gov.