As time has gone on, COVID-19 numbers have gone through spikes and plateaus. In March of 2020,
the world shut down due to the virus. However, this pandemic continues to rage on, with an increase of cases being linked to lax procedures and precautions. According to the Gazette, the seven-day positivity rate for COVID-19 is almost at 15% in Linn County. The Delta variant of COVID-19, which is highly transmissible, is the only strain being detected in Linn County. In August, 13 people died from the virus, the highest number of deaths seen in months in Linn County. This spike in cases in Linn County can be closely linked to the start of the school year. On May 20, Governor Kim Reynolds placed a ban on mask mandates in schools as a part of a larger education bill that would expand open enrollment in Iowa. While some celebrate this news, others go into turmoil. An Iowan parent in the Council Bluffs school district is suing the state, saying that her kids are being exposed to unmasked and unvaccinated individuals under the age of twelve. Meredith Beer, a sophomore at Xavier, offered her opinion on how the school can stay safe with limited COVID-19 cases. “From what I have heard, the Delta variant is more contagious so I think we should socially distance. We do not need to do the full six feet but maybe three feet would be best,” Beer said. One solution the world has turned to is vaccinations. The Pfizer vaccine became available to the public on December 11, 2020. According to The New York Times, 203 million people have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, with this being about 73.5% of the nation’s population. On a more local level, 51.5% of the Iowa population is completely vaccinated and 56.1% of the Iowa population have at least one dose, showing that Iowa is lagging behind in this category. “I think it [the vaccine] is effective. I think it is a safe thing to do, the viral load of when you get it [the delta variant] is the same as if you were unvaccinated but because of the vaccine it reduces the viral load quicker so you are not going to transmit it for as long as someone who is not vaccinated,” Xavier science teacher Mr. Nate Greene said. Just recently on August 23, the Pfizer vaccine got fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A third vaccine shot is waiting approval from the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before they start recommending it. This third booster shot is designed only for those who have weaker immune systems. “Our scientific and medical experts conducted an incredibly thorough and thoughtful evaluation of this vaccine. We evaluated scientific data and information included in hundreds of thousands of pages, conducted our own analyses of Comirnaty’s [the vaccine’s] safety and effectiveness and performed a detailed assessment of the manufacturing processes, including inspections of the manufacturing facilities,” Director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Peter Marks, M.D, Ph.D said. The CDC will continue to provide new information regarding the pandemic, including the daily number of COVID-19 cases, as the year progresses.