Back To School Bash

Concert Postponed

After thoughtful consideration, the MEHOP board of directors has made the decision to postpone the Tejano Night fundraiser scheduled for August 14th at the Bay City Civic Center. We appreciate all those who have worked so hard to plan this event. We also know so many were looking forward to this event after all of… Read More

Lets Get Ready for Back-To-School

Back-To-School Event Scheduled for Wharton

COVID-19: Vaccine vs. Illness

DOES VACCINE HESITANCY ADD UP? Key Points: There has been over 33.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States and over 600 thousand deaths. More than 334 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the United States. The number of long-term effects and death associated with contracting COVID-19 is far greater… Read More

August Blood Drive

In response to a nationwide shortage of blood and platelets, MD Anderson’s Blood Bank is putting out an urgent call for donations. mdandersonbloodbank.org Our next blood drive supporting MD Anderson Blood Bank will be Wednesday, August 4th from 12:30pm – 6:30pm. Donations have not reached pre-pandemic levels, therefore blood and platelet donations continue to be… Read More

Delta Variant – What You Need To Know

The COVID-19 Delta variant is on the rise in the United States

If you listen to the news, you have probably heard about COVID-19 variants that are circulating throughout the world. Currently, there are four that are classified as variants of concern in the United States¹.

What is a Variant?

As viruses spread, their characteristics have the ability to change. When this occurs, they are called a variant. Changes in a virus can impact how it spreads or how sick people get if they are infected by it. Changes may also allow the virus to spread more easily or become resistant to treatments or vaccines².

The Delta variant, which was first identified in India, is of particular concern due to its increased ability to spread, potential for increased severity of disease and potential for decreased immunity acquired from previous infection or vaccines¹.

As of July 3, 2021, the estimated proportions of the Delta variant accounted for 51.7% of COVID cases in the United States. This figure is up 20% from only two weeks prior³. It is rapidly becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.

Many of us have grown tired of hearing about COVID-19. The reality is however, that it is still here and is something we should continue to take necessary precautions against. Recent studies of the Delta variant indicate that unvaccinated children and people under the age of 50 were more likely to become infected than with previous variants⁴. While hospitalization rates among adolescents remain lower than adults, a recent study found an increase in hospitalization rates in ages 12-17⁵.

The best way to protect yourself from any variant of COVID-19 is to get vaccinated. While there is a potential for decreased immunity with the Delta variant, vaccines remain highly effective at preventing sever disease, hospitalization and death⁴.

Since COVID-19 vaccines were made available, rates of infection have decreased along with hospitalizations and deaths. The highest rates of incidences are among those who remain unvaccinated.

References:

^CDC:^{SARS-CoV-2 Variant Classifications and Definitions}^{, Updated July 6, 2021}
^CDC:^{About Variants of the Virus that Causes COVID-19}^{, Updated June 28, 2021}
^CDC:^{COVID Data Tracker Variant Proportions}
^{Yale Medicine:}^{5 Things To Know About the Delta Variant}
^CDC:^{Trending: Teens}^{, Interpretive Summary for June 4, 2021}

Good News for COVID-19 Survivors

NEW STUDIES SUGGEST THAT COVID-19 SURVIVORS HAVE LONG-TERM IMMUNITY Rebecca Myers, MSN, RN for MEHOP Two new studies are out that suggest that people who survived COVID-19 have long-term immunity from the virus3,4. If you are a COVID-19 survivor and received the vaccination, your immunity is boosted up to “50 times greater than before the… Read More

Are You Over 45, Overweight, and Inactive?

References 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What is Diabetes? Last reviewed June 11, 2020 2. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Diabetes. Last reviewed December 2016 3. Mayo Clinic. Diabetes. October 30, 2020 4. Cleveland Clinic. Diabetes: An Overview. Last reviewed March 28, 2021 5. American Diabetes Association… Read More

Car Seats Are Back!

After temporary program closure last year by the State due to COVID-19, the Texas Safe Riders child safety seat program is back! The program provides free child safety seats to families in Texas who are experiencing financial hardship in an effort to reduce the number of motor vehicle crash injuries and fatalities to children in… Read More

Vaccines are just part of good health

It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it. There are a number of things we do to keep ourselves in good health – eating healthy foods, exercising, practicing good personal hygiene, drinking plenty of water, annual well visits with our doctor, getting plenty of sleep, and even getting vaccines to guard… Read More

The COVID-19 Delta variant is on the rise in the United States

As of July 3, 2021, the estimated proportions of the Delta variant accounted for 51.7% of COVID cases in the United States. This figure is up 20% from only two weeks prior3. It is rapidly becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.

As of July 3, 2021, the estimated proportions of the Delta variant accounted for 51.7% of COVID cases in the United States. This figure is up 20% from only two weeks prior³. It is rapidly becoming the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States.