The Delta variant is creating a renewed sense of urgency even as counties open up to a post-pandemic world.

The Fresno County Department of Public Health announced Friday it has found 19 cases of the Delta variant. However, the testing is delayed by two to three weeks, so there are likely more cases of the variant today than the numbers reflect. 

The variant mostly affects the unvaccinated population, about 60% of Fresno County. Dr. Rais Vohra, interim public health officer for Fresno County, said there is mixed messaging regarding masking. Los Angeles County has recently recommended that all residents wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. But Vohra said this might hinder the efforts to increase vaccination rates by communicating that the vaccines are not as effective. 

He still recommends, along with the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that masking indoors is limited to unvaccinated individuals. Health officials reiterated that the Delta variant has caused hospitalizations only for the unvaccinated, and that the vaccine still proves safe and effective against the new variant. 

The California Department of Public Health is calling on unvaccinated Californians to receive a vaccine, echoing that it is safe and effective. This comes as the new, more contagious Delta variant, which originated in India, is increasingly circulating around the state. 

Out of over 20 million vaccinated individuals, only 584 people, 0.003%, have contracted Covid-19 and required hospitalization. 

“As a father and pediatrician, I urge all eligible Californians to get vaccinated to not only protect themselves, but the children in their lives and in their communities who are not able to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Secretary. “The data is clear: nearly all new COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are preventable. The vaccines work and they protect us.”

There is increased risk for the Californians who remain unvaccinated with the Delta variant circulating. 

“We are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and its variants across our state. COVID-19 has not gone away. If you are not vaccinated, you are still at risk,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “Currently, the Delta variant accounts for approximately 36 percent of cases sampled in California, and we expect this to rise. The most important thing we can do to stop the spread of COVID-19, and the variants, is ensure everyone who is eligible gets vaccinated.”

There is good news though – case rates remain low across the state, despite a 0.5% increase in cases after reopenings. The health department said there is no anticipation of any threat to the state’s health care system capacity because there are enough people vaccinated as opposed to the winter surge. 

Dr. Mohamed Fayed, who has served as a frontline health care worker intensive care unit, encourages everyone to receive the vaccine. 

“It’s a preventable disease at this point,” Fayed said.