Here is some info to what is happening in the US.....
- COVID-19 cases are rising in the United States, and the delta variant has been identified in all 50 states.
- The
delta variant is now responsible for more than 58 percent of new
coronavirus infections in the United States, and there’s been an
increase in hospitalizations.
- Of people hospitalized, a majority are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.
- Even though vaccines offer different ranges of protection, experts say getting fully vaccinated is crucial.
The
United States is now dealing with the delta variant of the coronavirus,
a highly contagious variant that was first identified in India in
December.
As with previous variants, the delta variant has spread
to many countries across the world, including, most notably, the United
Kingdom, where it’s now responsible for around 99 percent of new cases.
The
United States first announced that it had diagnosed a case with the
delta variant in March this year. It’s now the dominating variant
nationwide, making up more than half of all new infections in the country.
Confirmed infections with the delta variant have also been doubling since June. The average is more than 24,000 a day, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This rise has been attributed, in part, to the delta variant being an estimated 60 percentTrusted Source more transmissible than the alpha variant, according to recent research.
Additionally, areas with low vaccination rates are more likely to see a surge in infections.
Low vaccine uptake driving up infections
“The
unvaccinated population is at high risk for infection. If this variant
continues to move quickly, especially in areas of low vaccination rates,
the U.S. could see a surge in SARS-CoV-2 infection,” said Dr. Miriam Smith, chief of infectious disease at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Teaching Hospital in Queens, New York City.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle WalenskyTrusted Source issued a warning on this potential surge earlier this month.
In
a press briefing, she said preliminary data suggested that 99.5 percent
of the people who died from COVID-19 since January were unvaccinated.