July 2021 COVID-19 Update

Greetings!

I hope everyone is having some good old-fashioned summer fun. My family is thankful to be living more freely without the masks, restrictions, and fear of last summer. Let's keep moving forward!

Unfortunately, our area is experiencing a recent uptick in new COVID-19 cases. For Collin and Denton counties, our 7-day average was about 33 cases in mid-June but is hovering around 70 cases today. While this is a significant jump, it is nowhere near our previous peaks. Reasons cited for the rise in cases: interactions have become more open and frequent, rules have relaxed, some antibodies have worn off, the Delta variant is highly contagious, and -- most importantly -- many people remain unvaccinated.

Unvaccinated people currently account for 99.5% of hospitalizations and deaths here due to COVID-19. This is proving the life-saving power of vaccination. In fact, my UTSW classmate and colleague, Parkland CEO Joe Chang reported last night that ZERO of his hospitalized COVID patients are vaccinated. I'll repeat -- Vaccinated people are avoiding severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Unvaccinated people continue to be in danger.

No vaccine is perfect. No medicine is perfect. Nearly all have side effects or contra-indications. But the 3 vaccines approved in the United States: Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson&Johnson, have life-saving (and open-society-saving) benefits that far outweigh any hesitations in my professional medical opinion. We are so fortunate to have immediate access to all three here in Texas right now. Please take advantage.

My opinion is not political. It is based on my 20+ year career of ongoing medical education, scientific understanding, and clinical experience. Especially as the COVID-19 spread increases now, I encourage all of my patients to consider vaccination as soon as possible. You deserve to live your best, healthiest lives. And I want to continue to care for you for a long time to come.

In Good Health,

Dr. Lowery