CDC Director Reports 43% Increase in COVID-19 Cases

The number of COVID-19 cases per day in the United States has increased by more than 40% from the previous week amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, the head of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said the seven-day average for new daily cases was 89,463 on Thursday, up 43% from the previous week.

“Overall, we are seeing an increase in cases and hospitalizations across all age groups,” Walensky said during the White House COVID-19 briefing.

Walensky said new hospitalizations were up about 41% from the previous week, with an average of 7,348 admissions over seven days.

White House COVID-19 response chief Jeff Zients said seven states with some of the lowest vaccination rates were behind the latest outbreaks.

Florida, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi accounted for about half of new cases and hospitalizations – although they represent less than a quarter of the nation’s population, said Zients.

“Vaccinations are the best line of defense against COVID and the Delta variant, and we are doing everything we can to keep getting shot,” Zients said.

Zients said some of those states had seen “significant increases” in the number of residents vaccinated against the virus.

“Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Mississippi are now vaccinating people at an unprecedented rate since April,” Zients said.

Among the states reporting more new vaccinations is Tennessee, which has seen a 90% increase in the number of first injections of COVID-19 in the past two weeks, Zients said.

Oklahoma and Georgia saw an increase of 82% and 66%, respectively, over the same period, Zients said.

“Clearly, Americans see the impact of being unvaccinated and unprotected. And they’re responding by doing their part, rolling up their sleeves and getting the shot, ”Zients said.