(WXYZ) — The rise in COVID-19 hospitalization rates are driving more Americans to get vaccinated. The vaccination pace is now 70% higher than this time last month.
Right now around 51.1% of Americans are fully vaccinated. That doesn’t seem like a lot but we are definitely making good progress now. Just yesterday, over 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered according to CDC data. And that’s because people are seeing the alarming rise in hospitalization rates, our 7-day average is now over 86,000 people.
Health care systems across the US are reporting waiting rooms filled with sick patients, especially in states like Texas and Florida. What’s really concerning to me – if we continue at this pace - is that the CDC says we’ll likely see record highs for hospital admission in less than 30 days.
This is very worrying especially since school here in Greater Detroit is starting up very soon. A new University of Michigan survey found that a surprising number of Detroit households with children have low vaccination rates.
I was a bit dismayed when I read the results of this survey. The data showed that only 34% of Detroit adults have either gotten their children between the ages of 12 and 17 vaccinated, or said that they intend to get them vaccinated against COVID-19. Only 13% said they would feel comfortable with vaccinating their children under the age of 12 once a vaccine is approved for this age group.
Now, I was also a bit surprised that the survey found Detroit adults living with children were about half as likely to report that they were vaccinated - compared to Detroit adults without kids in their household – the percentage was 38% compared to 70%.
Also, Detroit adults living with children were found to be twice as likely to say they had no intention of getting vaccinated compared to Detroit adults without kids in their household. So what we have here, is a ticking time bomb that might just explode shortly after school starts. Because we have many unvaccinated school-age children living with unvaccinated parents.
I don’t think enough people realize that COVID is not an adult disease anymore. Every age bracket 50 and under has already surpassed previous hospitalization records. This is serious folks. I know I sound like a broken record, but vaccines are our way out of this pandemic. So please get vaccinated if you can. It’s imperative that parents talk with their children who are too young to get vaccinated, and stress the importance of wearing masks and washing or sanitizing their hands often, especially once school kicks off.
Many have spent years searching for a known cause or cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome disease. On this week’s Dr. Nandi Show, you’ll hear from a husband and wife doctor team who believe they’ve found a way to solve this riddle. Dr. Partha Nandi, MD also meets with two doctors who were diagnosed with the disease, and the world-renowned Dr. Russell Jaffe who believes western medicine is a hindrance to curing this disease. Watch this Sunday August 22nd at 5 pm.
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