CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – With active cases of COVID-19 now spiking above 1,500 in Montgomery County, local leaders late Wednesday afternoon issued an open letter to the community urging residents who aren’t vaccinated to reconsider.

The letter speaks to the rise in danger of the Delta variant and of the effectiveness of the vaccines. “If you are unvaccinated you run a greater risk of spreading the virus to those you love and come in contact with every day,” the letter states.

It is signed by 28 Clarksville and Montgomery County officials, including both mayors, the police chief, sheriff, judges, and members of the City Council and County Commission.

“We are at a crossroads in our community that we all love so dearly,” the letter states. “We ask that you consider getting vaccinated today. That is our best defense against this insidious disease.”

Here is the full text of the letter, along with the signing officials:

Without a doubt the past 17 months have been difficult for our community. In March of 2020, a pandemic swept across our community as well as the entire world. We faced stay at home orders, businesses having to close their doors, unprecedented unemployment, mask mandates, illness and even death.

In December of last year hope appeared on the horizon when a vaccine to fight COVID-19 became available. The first dose was administered in Montgomery County on December 22, 2020. Vaccines were in limited supply in the beginning and we only vaccinated certain populations at the onset. Soon thereafter, three vaccines were available to everyone, except those under twelve years old and that age group may be eligible soon.

Now, however, we face a variant of this virus called “Delta.” This variant has proven to be highly contagious and is causing hospitalizations to go up. Since the start of the pandemic, we have lost over 230 residents of Montgomery County. We are seeing another surge like the one we experienced last summer. Even the healthiest among us are struggling when contracting the Delta variant.

We say this not to create fear, but to talk about the data and the effectiveness of the vaccines. Data shows that the vaccines are highly effective. Even though we see a few cases of those who have been vaccinated becoming infected again, the great majority of these cases have mild symptoms with quick recoveries. The data also shows that those who are not vaccinated are at a higher risk of having serious symptoms. Furthermore, if you are unvaccinated you run a greater risk of spreading the virus to those you love and come in contact with every day.

We recognize the choice to receive the vaccine is personal and unfortunately it has become controversial. We fully respect your right to be vaccinated, or decline based on personal reasons. We would, however, ask everyone who has not been vaccinated to reconsider their decision by consulting their health care provider, relying on the science, and determining if the vaccine is something that is right for you.

We are at a crossroads in our community that we all love so dearly. We ask that you consider getting vaccinated today. That is our best defense against this insidious disease.

The County and City Officials listed at the bottom of this letter have agreed to lend their name in support of this letter.

Thank you.

Jim Durrett, Montgomery County Mayor

Joe Pitts, City of Clarksville Mayor

Sharon Massey Grimes, General Sessions Judge

Ken Goble, General Sessions Judge

Katy Olita, Circuit Court Judge

Ted A Crozier, Circuit Court Judge

Charles Smith, Clarksville City Judge

Kellie Jackson, Montgomery County Clerk

John Fuson, Montgomery County Sheriff

Garland Johnson, County Commissioner Dist. 19

Wendy Davis, Circuit Court Clerk

Connie Gunnett, Register of Deeds

John Gannon, County Commission Dist. 1

David Crockarell, Clarksville Chief of Police

Tangi Smith, County Commissioner Dist. 8

James Lewis, County Commissioner Dist. 10

Wanda Allen, City Council Ward 8

Dajuan Little, City Council Ward 3

Jerry Allbert, County Commissioner Dist. 20

Stacy Streetman, City Council Ward 10

Chris Rasnic, County Commissioner Dist. 17

David Harper, County Commissioner Dist. 15

Travis Holleman, City Council Ward 7

Karen Reynolds, City Council Ward 9

Larry Rocconi, County Commissioner Dist. 21

Ashlee Evans, City Council Ward 11

Kimberly Wiggins, Montgomery County Trustee

Joe Creek, County Commissioner Dist. 11

MORE: Should you get the vaccine? Here’s what Clarksville doctors say

MORE: Should you get the vaccine? These Clarksville and Tennessee leaders did