The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has been notified of the first identified Delta variant case of the COVID-19 virus in St. Mary’s County. The Delta variant thus far appears to be highly transmissible and may be more likely to cause severe illness, including among unvaccinated youth. Elsewhere in the country and across the world, case rates and hospitalizations are increasing among unvaccinated populations and the Delta variant is predicted to become the dominant strain in the U.S. SMCHD urges all community members age 12 and older to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The available COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and provide protection against this new variant when a person is fully vaccinated (two weeks after the second dose in a 2-dose series or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine). For more information or to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, please visit smchd.org/covid-19-vaccine or call (301) 475-4330. “It is critical that anyone eligible in our community get vaccinated,” said Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer. “As more people in our community are fully vaccinated, we reduce the likelihood that this new infectious Delta variant will spread in St. Mary’s. Prevention methods, such as wearing a mask, hand washing, […]
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