The delta variant took hold in the US as coronavirus cases rose nearly 70%

 

The delta variant took hold in the US as coronavirus cases rose nearly 70%

"This has become an epidemic for the unvaccinated," says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director. The delta variant is causing outbreaks across the United States. Here's how to beat it. Delta variant has become the dominant strain virus in the United States, resulting in a spike in infections and hospitalizations.

Federal health officials sounded the alarm about the surge in coronavirus infections in the United States fueled by the threats posed by the highly contagious variable delta and stagnation in efforts to vaccinate as many Americans as possible.

During a White House briefing, Rochelle Walinsky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the seven-day average of coronavirus infections rose about 70 percent in just one week, to about 26,300 a day. She told the seven-day standard for hospitalization also increased, up about 36 percent over the previous seven-day period.

This is a hard time for unvaccinated," Walinsky said. "We see outbreaks of cases in parts of the country with low vaccination coverage because people who aren't immunized are at risk, and communities that are fully vaccinated are generally doing well."

The data and maps illustrate the accelerating pace of issues — and the disproportionate burden that some countries are carrying. Florida has emerged as a national hotspot, with 1 in 5 cases recorded in the past week. Health officials said four states were responsible for more than 40 percent of patients in the past week. And 10 percent of the counties have moved to the "high transmission risk process."

Health officials have repeatedly stressed that the massive death toll from coronavirus, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is afflicting non-immune people and communities.

More than 97 % of hospitalizations are among those who haven't been vaccinated, Walinsky said, and nearly all of the COVID-19 deaths -- up 26 percent in the past week -- are among people who haven't received the vaccine.

"Unvaccinated Americans account for virtually all recent hospitalizations and deaths from the coronavirus," said Jeff Zentes, the White House coronavirus coordinator. 

The Association of American Colleges demanded that all its member institutions require vaccinations for employees.

"We recognize the sensitive nature of this recommendation and understand that it must be made on an institution-by-organizational basis, subject to legally required exceptions and consistent with state law," said David J. Skorton, the association's president. "However, for the safety of our patients, communities, healthcare staff, faculty, and students, we encourage our members to request immunizations for staff while working with local public health officials as appropriate."

Fauci declared that the delta variant has become the dominant strain worldwide and is responsible for most US cases. Fauci said the delta variant in some parts of the United States is responsible for more than 70 percent of cases.

"During this pandemic, misinformation has led to people resisting masks and high-risk places to refuse proven treatments, and in some cases turning to unproven treatments and choosing not to receive vaccination," Murthy said. All this led to diseases and deaths that could have been avoided. Simply put, health disinformation has cost us lives."

In another indication that the epidemic continues to spread, Zentz said the administration would be willing to give booster doses to some Americans if science showed them beneficial. Still, health officials emphasized that Americans at this time do not need a booster dose. An advisory committee is to be established for the CDC.