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Florida has set hospitalization records for eight consecutive days (File)
New York:
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the United States peaked in six months, fueled by the rapid spread of the Delta variant in parts of the country struggling with low vaccination rates.
Nationwide, COVID-19 cases have averaged 100,000 for three consecutive days, up 35% over the past week, according to a Reuters tally of public health data. The disease outbreak was strongest in Louisiana, Florida and Arkansas.
Hospitalizations were up 40% and deaths, a lagging indicator, were up 18% over the past week with the highest number of deaths by population in Arkansas.
The intensification of the spread of the pandemic has led to the cancellation of some major high-profile events. One notable exception is an annual motorcycle rally in South Dakota that went as planned.
Florida has set records for hospitalizations for eight consecutive days, according to the analysis. In this state, most students are due to return to class this week as some school districts debate whether to require masks for students.
The leader of the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union on Sunday announced a change of course by supporting mandatory vaccinations for U.S. teachers in a bid to protect students too young to be vaccinated.
The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 is increasing across the country, a trend that health experts attribute to the Delta variant being more likely to infect children than the original Alpha strain.
With the virus disrupting the lives of Americans again after a brief summer lull, the campaign to vaccinate those who are still reluctant has gained new momentum.
States like California, New York and Virginia have mandated weekly vaccinations or tests for state employees, as well as several cities.
President Joe Biden’s administration established new rules late last month requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or undergo regular testing, mask warrants and travel restrictions.
In the private sector, a growing number of companies are also requiring vaccination against COVID-19. United Airlines, meat packer Tyson Foods Inc and Microsoft are demanding that employees get vaccinated.
CROWD OF STURGIS
The evolution of the pandemic and the rapid spread of the community boosted by the Delta variant has already resulted in the cancellation of some large-scale events. Last week, organizers canceled the New York Auto Show that was scheduled for later this month.
The New Orleans Jazz Fest has been canceled for the second year in a row as Louisiana battles a serious epidemic.
But fears about the Delta variant don’t seem to have cooled the mood in Sturgis, a small town in South Dakota that hosts hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
This year’s rally, which will take place August 6-15, could already draw record crowds.
“It’s one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen,” Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin said in an email. “I think there will definitely be some spread.”
The town of Sturgis has partnered with health officials to provide COVID-19 self-test kits to rallies, but the event does not require proof of vaccination or wearing a mask.
Last year the rally became the mainstream event that many feared it would become.
While cases and hospitalizations were relatively low in South Dakota when the event began on August 7, 2020, three months later, the state set a record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients and new infections.
In November alone, the state lost 521 people to COVID-19, nearly three times the number of deaths reported in October, according to a Reuters tally.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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