Once again, Louisiana is an epicenter of the recent COVID-19 surge in cases nationwide. This surge, fueled by the new Delta variant of the virus and by Louisiana’s low rate of vaccinations, now poses more severe challenges for the state, our health care facilities and the general public than ever before. It is clear…
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The Delta variant is far more virulent than the original strain.
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A high-risk area as one in which 100 cases/100,000 people are reported in a week and the positivity rate for testing is over 10%. Louisiana is reporting 100 new cases per DAY and our positivity rate is over 15%.
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There is a direct correlation between new infections and vaccinations. More than 90% of all new cases are people who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine.
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The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics has shown that the Delta variant affects children at a far greater rate than the original coronavirus.
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There is no approved vaccine for children under the age of 12 and only 13% of children age 12-18 in Louisiana have been vaccinated.
All of these conditions suggest our children are at a higher risk than they were in the Spring of 2020.
On August 4th, Governor Edwards again declared a state of emergency and issued a mask mandate. Beyond the mask mandate and continued attempts to get the unvaccinated vaccinated, the Governor stated that he does not anticipate a return to additional mitigation measures such as those implemented in 2020 prior to the release of COVID-19 vaccines.
However, we must all recognize that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is still very much a reality especially in young people. We must all be committed to taking the mitigation measures with which we have all become so familiar. With all of this in mind and with the hope that all Louisianans will work together to vanquish this pandemic once and for all, LSA urges everyone involved in youth soccer to take every step possible to protect their child, their families and themselves.