All but two U.S. states see rising COVID cases

As the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States grows, only two states have not reported increases in infection rates, while the five states with the largest jump have lower vaccination rates .

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the average number of confirmed infections per day rose from 11,300 on June 23 to 23,600 on Monday. The only two states that have not reported an increase in the past two weeks are Maine and South Dakota.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 55.6% of all Americans had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and the five states with the largest two-week increase in the number of per capita cases had vaccination rates. below national average: Missouri at 45.9 percent; Arkansas at 43%; Nevada at 50.9%; Louisiana at 39.2%; and Utah at 49.5%.

The increase in infections has been attributed to the fast-spreading Delta variant, slow vaccination rates and July 4th rallies.

For more Associated Press reporting, see below.

“It is certainly no coincidence that we are looking at exactly when we expect cases to arise after the weekend of July 4,” said Dr Bill Powderly, co-director of the division of infectious diseases at Washington University School of Medicine. in Saint-Louis.

At the same time, parts of the country are facing deep resistance to vaccines, while the highly contagious mutant version of the coronavirus that was first detected in India accounts for an ever-increasing share of infections.

Even with the latest increase, cases in the United States are nowhere near their peak of a quarter of a million per day in January. And deaths are less than 260 per day on average after reaching over 3,400 over the winter, a testament to how well the vaccine can prevent serious illness and death in those who are infected.

Yet amid the rise, health officials in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis are even begging those with immunity to resume wearing masks in public.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi Department of Health, which ranks dead last nationally for vaccinations, has started blocking COVID-19 posts on its Facebook page due to a “rise in disinformation” about virus and vaccine.

Ministry officials also recommend that people 65 and older and those with chronic underlying illnesses stay away from large indoor gatherings due to a 150% increase in hospitalizations in the past three weeks. .

But the political will may not be there in many states tired by months of restrictions.

In Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer faces a push to repeal a law she used to impose major restrictions at the start of the pandemic.

And Republican Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama has pushed back against the idea that the state may need to reimpose preventative measures as vaccinations delay and hospitalizations increase.

“Alabama is OPEN for business. Vaccines are readily available and I encourage people to get one. The state of emergency and health orders have expired. We are moving forward,” she said on social networks.

Dr James Lawler, head of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, said returning masks and limiting gatherings would help. But he acknowledged that most of the places with the highest virus rates “are exactly the parts of the country that don’t want to do any of these things.”

Lawler warned that what is happening in Britain is a preview of what is to come in the United States

“Descriptions of the parts of the world where the Delta variant took hold and became the predominant virus are pictures of intensive care units full of 30 years old. This is what intensive care doctors describe and it is. what is happening in the United States, ”he said. .

He added: “I think people have no idea what’s about to hit us.”

President Joe Biden is putting a dose of star power behind the administration’s efforts to get young people vaccinated. 18-year-old actress, singer and songwriter Olivia Rodrigo will meet Biden and Dr Anthony Fauci on Wednesday.

While the administration has been successful in vaccinating older Americans, young adults have shown less urgency in getting vaccinated.

Some, at least, are answering the call in Missouri after weeks of begging, said Erik Frederick, executive director of Mercy Hospital Springfield. He tweeted that the number of people vaccinated at his vaccination clinic has increased from 150 to 250 per day.

“It gives me hope,” he said.