Covid vaccinations more than doubled in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama

More and more people who were once hesitant to get vaccinated in several southern states are now receiving their first injections as the delta Covid variant tears apart regions of the United States with low vaccination rates.

In Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, the seven-day average of reported first daily doses has more than doubled since early July, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the outbreak worsened at national scale.

During the same period, the average number of daily cases rose from about 13,000 per day across the country to about 94,000 per day as of Aug.4, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with the overwhelming majority of new infections among those who are not vaccinated.

“Obviously Americans are seeing the impact of being unvaccinated and unprotected and they are responding by doing their part, rolling up their sleeves and getting vaccinated,” Covid Czar Jeff Zients told reporters on Thursday. of the White House.

In Arkansas, which is experiencing the nation’s third-worst outbreak based on daily new cases per capita, vaccinations have nearly tripled. As of July 1, the state administered an average of 2,893 first doses in guns over seven days, which represents new people receiving their first injections, according to a CNBC analysis of CDC data. As of August 4, that number climbed to a seven-day average of 8,585 first doses administered per day.

Mississippi, which is experiencing the country’s fourth worst epidemic, recorded a 178% increase as of Aug.4 in the first doses given since early July. Louisiana saw a 128% increase and Alabama, home to the fifth-worst epidemic nationwide, saw a 109% increase.

Louisiana is experiencing the nation’s worst outbreak of new per capita Covid cases and record hospitalizations after the delta variant targeted the state’s mostly unvaccinated population.

The state governor reimplemented a mask mandate until at least September 1 in an attempt to slow transmission. Even with the recent increase in immunizations, Louisiana still ranks fifth in the country in terms of fully immunized residents, at 37.2%.

“Louisiana’s COVID-19 vaccination rate is not where we need it, and that, combined with the delta variant, has resulted in the perfect storm that we are seeing right now,” Mindy Faciane told CNBC , public information officer at the Louisiana Department of Health. .

Behind Louisiana is Arkansas with 37% of residents fully vaccinated, Wyoming at 36.7%, Mississippi at 34.8% and Alabama at 34.6%, according to CDC data.

Covid cases with serious results are also on the rise, according to US officials. The seven-day daily hospital average is up 41% from a week ago, with an average daily death toll up 39%, CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said Thursday.

Studies have shown that the delta variant is much more transmissible than the original Covid strain and, unlike the original, requires two doses of the vaccine for the body to have a chance to fight off infection and severe symptoms.

“Even if someone decides today that they want to be vaccinated, it will be some time before their body and immune system are educated to be able to cope,” Gigi Gronvall, immunologist and principal investigator at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told CNBC. “You want to make sure you don’t get exposed before your body has a chance to stop this virus.”

Still, residents of hard-hit states who initiate vaccination will help slow the spread of the virus as early as possible and could prevent hospitalizations and deaths in the future.

“People are seeing how this affects their communities and they are actively changing their minds about getting the vaccine,” Faciane said. “Our vaccination rate has skyrocketed right now.”

Patients of various ages hospitalized with Covid in states such as Missouri, Florida, Arkansas and Louisiana regret having initially refused to be vaccinated and are begging their communities to be vaccinated.

Overall, the United States is reporting an average of about 677,000 daily vaccinations during the past week to August 4, up 11% from last week.

The number of first doses of vaccine increases more sharply than the overall rate. On average, about 446,000 first doses were given each day over the past seven days Wednesday, according to the CDC, up 17% from the previous week.