Mesa County saw its first case of the Delta variant in may and is now ranked number one in highest confirmed cases across the state of Colorado.
“We’ve had the delta variant in mesa county before it was really noticed by anyone at the state or federal level. so right now we are a hot spot and have been a hot spot for several weeks,” Public Health official, Jeff Kuhr.

Mesa County Public Health officials say the community is seeing a high number of hospitalizations as the variant has been proven to be more contagious. it also can cause more severe symptoms than the original strain of COVID-19. State health representatives requested the centers for disease control to investigate the delta variant in mesa county earlier this week.
“Primarily they were here to look at nursing home residents and to see what the delta variant is doing to them,” Kuhr stated.

The CDC is also investigating the high hospitalization rates in Mesa County and vaccine breakthrough cases. According to Mesa County Public Health, 40% of residents are fully vaccinated. Experts believe the cause behind the spread is because of low vaccination rates and large unvaccinated gatherings
“No one has done anything in Mesa County from a State or Federal perspective to combat the Delta. Nationally we are saying the Delta variant is highly contagious and it needs to be controlled. It’s been in Mesa County for a couple months now so we’ve been dealing with it,” Kuhr said.

The Centers for Disease Control’s investigation into the Delta variant in Mesa County is still ongoing.

Mesa County Public Health urges the public to get vaccinated as it is the best defense against the variant.

Visit https://www.vaccines.gov/ to find a vaccination clinic near you. Looking for a vaccination clinic in Mesa County, visit https://health.mesacounty.us/covid19/vaccine/