After months of decline, the number of new cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. has nearly doubled over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates, and Fourth of July gatherings.
Confirmed coronavirus infections have climbed to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
And all states, with the exception of two, have reported rising case numbers over the past two weeks, reports the Associated Press. As of late Tuesday, the CDC estimates that the Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, was estimated to be responsible for 57.6 percent of newly confirmed cases nationwide from June 20 through July 3.
“It is certainly no coincidence that we are looking at exactly the time that we would expect cases to be occurring after the July Fourth weekend,” said Dr. Bill Powderly, co-director of the infectious-disease division at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis.
As a nation, over 184 million people, or 55.6 percent of all Americans have received at least one COVID-19 shot, according to the CDC. Of that number, over 159 million, or 48.1 percent of the population are fully vaccinated.
And as it turns out, the five states with the biggest jump in new coronavirus cases all had lower vaccination rates: Missouri, 45.9%; Arkansas, 43%; Nevada, 50.9%; Louisiana, 39.2%; and Utah, 49.5%.
The choice unvaccinated Americans face
The facts concerning the COVID-19 variant are relatively clear. The Delta variant first identified in India in October 2020, has now spread to 104 countries, and is expected to soon be the dominant coronavirus variant circulating worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), reports ABC News. The variant reached the U.S. in March and is now found in all 50 states.
“The delta variant is ripping around the world at a scorching pace, driving a new spike in cases and death,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus said during a COVID-19 press briefing on Monday.
The delta variant has shown to be particularly dangerous to those who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated against COVID-19, and preliminary data indicates it may increase the risk of hospitalization.
Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, says if Americans want to avoid wearing a mask, get vaccinated. “We can’t have it both ways. We can’t be both unmasked and non-socially distant and unvaccinated. That won’t work,” he said.
And yes, the myths about the coronavirus being a hoax or political ploy are still circulating, along with falsehoods about vaccines in general. And yes, people are getting tired of all the mandates about masks, social distancing, and avoiding large crowds.
Dr. James Lawler, a leader of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, said bringing back masks and limiting gatherings would help.
Dr. Lawler also points out that most of the places seeing higher rates of the virus “are exactly the areas of the country that don’t want to do any of these things.”
“The descriptions from regions of the world where the delta variant has taken hold and become the predominant virus are pictures of ICUs full of 30-year-olds. That’s what the critical care doctors describe and that’s what’s coming to the U.S.,” he said.
He added: “I think people have no clue what’s about to hit us.”
