July 20, 2021 — The nationтАЩs top health officials said Tuesday that the Delta variant of the coronavirus is racing through the country and now is responsible for 83% of all U.S. cases.
ThatтАЩs a massive increase from a week ago, when Delta was seen as responsible for just more than half of new cases, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, told a Senate committee.
тАЬThe best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 variants is to prevent the spread of disease, and vaccination is the most powerful tool we have,тАЭ she said.
Meanwhile, several states in the South are reporting a large increase in COVID-19 cases, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Arkansas, Florida, and Missouri are reporting full-fledged outbreaks, and neighboring states such as Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas are following behind.
тАЬ4th wave is here,тАЭ Thomas Dobbs, MD, the state health officer for Mississippi, wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Dobbs posted a graph of hospitalizations in Mississippi, which showed numbers climbing dramatically in July after hitting a low in May and June.
тАЬVery sad indeed,тАЭ he wrote. тАЬDidnтАЩt have to be this way.тАЭ
Mississippi reported more than 2,300 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend, which is the stateтАЩs largest 3-day increase in cases since February, according to The Associated Press. Mississippi has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country.
Florida has become one of the countryтАЩs biggest COVID-19 hot spots, now accounting for a fifth of new infections in the U.S., according to NBC News.
In Jacksonville, UF Health broke its record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, jumping from 86 patients on Sunday to 126 on Monday.
тАЬWeтАЩre gaining cases at such a rapid rate, we donтАЩt really know where itтАЩs going to stop,тАЭ Chad Neilsen, the director of infection prevention at UF Health, told NBC News.
тАЬWe arenтАЩt even thinking a couple of months,тАЭ he said. тАЬWeтАЩre thinking whatтАЩs going to immediately happen in the next week.тАЭ
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