GREENSBORO, N.C. — We hit an alarming number among our state's coronavirus metrics. Saturday's number of new daily cases was more than 11,000. In today's 2 Your Well-Being, we're discussing what you need to know about the latest COVID-19 surge.
Dr. Jay Wyatt is the chief medical officer for Cone Health's Moses Cone Memorial Hospital. He said the largest vulnerable group to the delta variant is younger people. It also happens to be the largest group unvaccinated. Dr. Wyatt urges everyone to get vaccinated. It's not just about your personal health but for those around you. He adds those who are younger might not get very sick but they could spread it to others who might.
Dr. Wyatt said if more people do not get vaccinated, the virus will continue to evolve and will perhaps be more dangerous than other variants we have seen.
Many people have asked if breakthrough cases can occur, why get the vaccine? Dr. Wyatt said even if you do get a breakthrough case, your chances of being hospitalized or dying from the virus are still very low compared to someone who is unvaccinated. People who are at a higher risk for breakthrough cases are those who are immunocompromised.
Dr. Wyatt said even as more people get vaccinated, you need to continue wearing a mask. You could have a breakthrough case and be asymptomatic and spread it to other people who are not vaccinated.
If you start to feel sick, Dr. Wyatt said to go and get tested if your symptoms are mild. If you're having severe symptoms like shortness of breath, you should go to the emergency department.
