The Delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain worldwide. Similarly in the United States, the Delta variant has caused a spike in deaths across the United States, almost entirely among unvaccinated people.
This was conveyed by the Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rochelle Walensky told reporters on Friday (16/7) local time.
As reported by Reuters and Channel News Asia, Saturday (17/7/2021), cases of Corona virus infection in the United States rose 70 percent from the previous week and deaths rose 26 percent, with outbreaks occurring in parts of the country with low vaccination rates.
According to CDC data, the average daily number of cases in seven days is now more than 26,000 cases, more than double the June average of around 11,000 cases.
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said the most notable increases in cases occurred in Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Nevada. All of these states have below-average vaccination rates.
"This is becoming a pandemic for those who are not vaccinated," Walensky said, adding that 97 percent of people admitted to hospitals in the United States with COVID-19 are known to be unvaccinated.
Walensky also urged unvaccinated Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccine. He said Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines have proven highly effective against the Delta variant.
He said a growing number of areas across the United States were now showing a high risk of COVID-19 transmission. This is a change in circumstances from the significant reduction in the risk of transmission in recent months.
US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said the Delta variant, which is significantly more contagious than the original COVID-19 variant, has been detected in about 100 countries globally and is now the dominant variant worldwide.
"We are dealing with a formidable variant of COVID-19,