The Butler Health System Administration hosted a Zoom meeting Monday to discuss the latest information on COVID-19, the delta variant, the number of local cases and the latest information available to be shared with the community. Somewhere around 100 community leaders were on the call and were able to hear the hospital leaders provide the updates.

As is happening across the nation and commonwealth, we learned that COVID-19 is making a rebound here and that the number of cases is again steadily climbing after having given us a break for most of the early summer months. The downward movement of cases that brought some normality to us seems to have been in direct correlation to the vaccines being distributed.

But we have hit the wall, it seems, and the remaining 45% of the unvaccinated are reluctant or even adamantly opposed to getting vaccinated. Now with schools going back to face-to-face education, churches opening back up and restaurants and banquet halls reducing requirements for masking, we may just be ripe for a roaring outbreak of cases.

Today, there were 20 cases of COVID-19 being treated at BHS. Eighty percent of the patients were unvaccinated. One person died of the virus last week in the hospital (go ahead and ask about pre-existing conditions; that will show compassion for that person’s surviving family members). The primary message of the experts was that this isn’t over yet. We have fought a good fight. We have done better than many areas across the state and the region. But there has been a huge cost with health care workers being stressed out and with labor shortages occurring here and most everywhere in the medical field.

The question was asked about the possible requirement to have employees at businesses and specifically at the health system be vaccinated. There has been discussion for months with no final decision made. Making such a demand could cause even more people to leave an already over-stressed market for employees. There also was a discussion of whether indoor celebrations are appropriate yet. The livelihood of restaurants, banquet halls and other places that cater to large groups is at stake.

The officials were clear in their position that they personally would not yet attend an indoor event without stringent requirements on vaccines, testing, masks and social distancing. They very politely, but firmly, stated that they wouldn’t advocate for such indoor functions. But many annual events have scheduled or already been held this summer. We haven’t been overrun by cases after these activities, but the delta variant is spreading quickly and people in charge of these events need to be vigilant and protect everyone involved. If you decide to have your fundraiser, charity auction, awards banquet or anything else, please take all possible precautions and follow the advice of scientists, doctors and health care professionals.

We made it this far; let’s not go back to the miserable experiences of 2020.

— RV