IOWA CITY, Iowa — Health leaders at the University of Iowa continue their push to get more people vaccinated against Covid-19.
Dr. Theresa Brennan is the Chief Medical Officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
"No," Brennan said when asked if the Delta variant is under control. "I hope you notice that there wasn't a hesitation there. It's not. You can see from the data nationwide and in Iowa that the rates are up. Maybe the rates are starting to come down in many places. Hopefully in Iowa too. We're a little hesitant to call that."
Brennan says vaccines work against the variant, and Delta has become more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which is exactly why she says people should get vaccinated.
"More than 3 and a half billion, I said billion with a 'B,' people have received the vaccine," she said. "It's safe. We know that it's effective."
Brennan says getting vaccinated is the right thing to do because it helps prevent people from getting sick, it decreases the potential for someone to be hospitalized or die from the virus, and it also could have a positive impact on our community.
Brennan says people who are vaccinated have about a 60% less risk of transmitting Covid-19 to others.
"Our way out of this is to stop the virus," Brennan said. "The virus is winning. It continues to live. It continues to have surges, and the more people we can get vaccinated so that that next person doesn't get it, doesn't pass it on... that's the way we stop this pandemic."
Brennan says healthcare workers are in need of a break, and that people should by sympathetic to one another, so the unvaccinated can be educated on potentially rethinking their decision.