The USA is once again seeing a surge in the COVID-19 cases and the new Delta variant is creating a havoc in the country. In the situation, the health officials have clearly warned the unvaccinated citizen, and stated that they are the factor behind the increase in these cases.
The US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention’s director Rochelle Walensky addressed the issue on Friday during White House Covid briefing. Walensky said, “This is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated.”
“We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk,” Walensky said. On the other hand, she said the “communities that are fully vaccinated are generally faring well. Our biggest concern is that we are going to continue to see preventable cases, hospitalizations and, sadly, deaths among the unvaccinated.”
Almost all US states have reported new COVID-19 cases in the recent times. As per the data issued by CDC, Washington, DC, is at the average of new cases at least 10% higher than a week ago. Meanwhile CNN reported that 38 states are seeing at least a 50% increase (via CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University).
Chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Cam Patterson stated that Arkansas has suffered badly because of Delta variant. Patterson said that the hospitals in Arkansas are “full right now and cases are doubling every 10 days.”
Medical experts are attributing the slowed vaccination rates as the major cause behind this surge. As per the CDC reports, only 48.3% of the US population has been fully vaccinated, which is way behind what President Biden had aimed. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden had announced his goal to get 70% of the US citizens to have at least a single shot by Fourth of July.
Walensky said, “The good news is that if you are fully vaccinated, you are protected against severe Covid, hospitalization and death, and are even protected against the known variants, including the Delta variant.” She added, “If you are not vaccinated,” she added, “you remain at risk.”