Good afternoon,
As the executive director of the Delaware Safety Council, it comes as no surprise that Julian “Pete” Booker was fully vaccinated.
But that did not stop a busy and personable Booker – best known as the community-minded general manager at WDEL-WSTW owner Delmarva Broadcasting (now Forever Media) – from becoming a breakthrough Covid-19 case.
Based on Delaware Division of Public Health figures, more than six-tenths of one percent of those who are fully vaccinated develop breakthrough infections.
It’s like winning a bad lottery, but Pete’s story shows that the virus has by no means gone away, with the state still reporting 600 new cases on some days.
In a recent social media post, Booker reported symptoms kicked in with a scratchy throat one feels when a cold is coming on. It was followed by what appeared to be a mild fever.
Later, Pete, who plays bass in a Delmarva band, could not finish a set at an outdoor event after becoming dehydrated and overheated.
Things did not get better as he began to feel “a little strange.” Family and co-workers urged Booker to get tested. The results came up positive, and he is isolating in his home.
“I have a mild case. I am functional, no more than a mild fever, dehydration, and slight lung congestion (and almost no taste),” Pete wrote.
He continued, “I am convinced that I would be in far worse shape without having been vaccinated! Get it done. I have been wearing a mask constantly at work and in most public group settings, yet I still got what they call a ‘breakthrough infection.’ For the life of me, I can’t tell you where or how, but it had to be on one of those rare moments when I foolishly went unmasked. It just shows that, despite best intentions, you just never know when a brief lapse in the right measures will cause Covid to rise up.”
“Finally, I was foolish enough to think I was okay and that my symptoms couldn’t be Covid. Thankfully, wiser people prevailed and I got tested. If I had not, I could have ignorantly gone on and infected who knows how many people. There are many compelling reasons to get tested and no reason not to!”
Pete concluded with a reference to his Delmarva Broadcasting days: “Those who know me well know that I have about 50 years of doing public service announcements of one sort or another. I hope you will take it to heart. Vaccination, mask, testing. No judgment, no politics; just love for everyone!”
Keep Pete’s words in mind at your home and workplace, and don’t try to tough it out if symptoms appear. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
