EDITORIAL
THE LOOMING DELTA THREAT
HOW TO REACH US
TIMESLEDGER | Q 12 NS.COM | JULY 16-JULY 22, 2021
PARADE HONORING ESSENTIAL
WORKERS WAS LONG OVERDUE
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Make sure you get vaccinated as the Delta variant of COVID-19 is making the rounds in New York City.
Photo via Getty Images
The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over in New
York City, as too many New Yorkers are finding
out the hard way.
The Delta variant — a more contagious
and severe mutation of the virus that stopped
the world in its tracks last year — is making the
rounds in New York City. More than 40 percent of
new cases reported in the five boroughs, involve
patients who contracted the Delta variant of COVID
19, according to the city Health Department’s
preliminary data.
Meanwhile, the city keeps on reopening up
after more than a year of shutdowns and restrictions.
Mask mandates have been lifted in most
places. The spread of the Delta variant threatens
to put a serious dent in the progress made in recent
months, if not upend it.
The good news is that more than half of all New
York City residents are fully vaccinated against
COVID-19. And while vaccinated New Yorkers can
still contract the virus, the vaccine enables their
bodies to successfully fight it off with few to no
symptoms.
But unvaccinated New Yorkers remain at the
same level of risk of serious illness or death that
everyone had before the vaccine came along. The
Delta variant looms a menacing threat to their
well-being — and it is attacking unvaccinated
people.
The numbers do not lie. The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reported that nationally,
99.2 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in June were
of unvaccinated Americans. The Delta variant is
spiking COVID-19 cases across areas of the country
where vaccination rates are low, packing hospital
rooms with sick patients and again putting
frontline health care workers at risk themselves.
In the latest NYC Health Department data, 24
neighborhoods across the five boroughs have less
than 40 percent of their residents fully vaccinated
against COVID-19. These areas are particularly
vulnerable to the Delta variant, and the city and
state must quickly step up all efforts to get the vaccine
in arms there.
The situation is no different than a menacing
storm looming off the shore, threatening to bring
a life-threatening storm surge that would wipe
out homes, businesses and lives. It’s not too late to
save the unvaccinated — but that requires cooperation
from the unvaccinated.
We beg any New Yorker who hasn’t already been
fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so now.
Don’t let the anti-vaccine rhetoric of fear-mongers
and political profiteers scare you to death.
Our great city of New York held a ticker tape
parade for our hometown heroes last week.
The parade honored our city’s essential
workers who risked their own lives to serve
on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has caused the death of over
600,000 lives — that doesn’t even include the thousands
of more who became ill.
But there were so many people who stepped up
to and helped us get through the worst of the pandemic,
including doctors, nurses, health care workers,
supermarket employees, EMS workers, transportation
workers, teachers and school staffers,
firefighters and so many more.
They all went the extra mile in trying to save
lives.
I can attest to what these doctors and nurses do.
I myself had an aggressive prostate cancer and was
treated and cured at age 65 and, at 72, I’m still doing
well. If it were not for these caring professionals, I
would not be alive today.
There can never be enough praise for these essential
workers. This parade was long overdue.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Bellerose
/NS.COM
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