The highly transmissible delta variant has been officially confirmed in all 50 states as of this week, and health officials nationwide are raising alarms about …
The highly transmissible delta variant has been officially confirmed in all 50 states as of this week, and health officials nationwide are raising alarms about localized coronavirus outbreaks as the Fourth of July weekend arrives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the strain makes up about a quarter of U.S. cases, with top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci calling it the “greatest threat” to getting rid of COVID-19. Amid the variant’s spread, the country recorded a 10 percent increase in its seven-day average this week, although the average is 95 percent lower than the U.S.’s early January peak, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a Thursday briefing. Administration officials have warned that unvaccinated people, including young people and children, are most at risk to contract the delta strain and experience serious illness, as the vaccine remains effective against the currently circulating variants. Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday that most parts of the county are „relatively safe“ with high vaccination rates, although other areas „should exercise more caution.“ Here are five states in particular where the delta variant is spreading and cases are rising, potentially signaling an upcoming increase in hospitalizations and deaths. Missouri The Show-Me State has made headlines in recent weeks as COVID-19 cases have surged there, where less than half of adults are fully vaccinated. Missouri reached 1,383 new cases on Thursday, as its average daily case count increased by 55 percent over two weeks. It ranks as the second in the country with the most new COVID-19 cases per capita at 15.1 per 100,000 people, according to Covid Act Now. Officials and experts have attributed the ongoing rise in cases and hospitalizations to the growing prevalence of the delta strain, which has exponentially risen to make up a majority of COVID-19 cases in the state in recent months. “Unfortunately, the arrival of the Delta variant in Missouri is driving transmission of the virus, and is resulting in increased illness and hospitalization among a younger population and the unvaccinated,” Missouri Hospital Association President and CEO Herb Kuhn said in a statement, calling it a “tragic consequence.” Among the hotspots in the state are Greene County, home to Springfield, and St. Louis County, where average daily cases boosted by 55 percent and 61 percent, respectively, in two weeks, according to The New York Times.
