CDC director warns of ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ as cases rise

Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rochelle WalenskyRochelle Walensky Night health care: New cases of COVID-19 increased by 94% in two weeks | Nurses Union Calls on CDC to Restore Universal Mask Guidelines | Texas sued law that allows citizens to enforce ban on “fetal heart rate” abortion Largest registered nurses union in the United States calls on CDC to restore universal mask guidelines On Friday, warned of the increase in cases, saying COVID-19 “is becoming an unvaccinated pandemic” and those vaccinated are protected from serious illness.

The highly transmissible delta variant is fueling expanding epidemics, but they are concentrated in parts of the country with lower vaccination rates.

“It is becoming an unvaccinated pandemic,” Walensky said during a White House press briefing. “We are seeing outbreaks in parts of the country that have low immunization coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk. “

The country averages around 26,000 cases per day, an increase of almost 70% from the average for the previous seven days, Walensky said. Hospitalizations are also about 2,790 per day, a 36% increase from the previous week, and deaths are up 26%, to 211 per day.

But almost all hospitalizations and deaths involve unvaccinated people. Walensky said 97% of people entering hospital with COVID-19 are not vaccinated.

“The good news is that if you are fully vaccinated you are protected against severe COVID, hospitalization and death, and even against the known variants, including the delta variant, that are circulating in this country,” Walensky said. .

“If you are not vaccinated you are still at risk,” she added.

Experts say they don’t expect virus outbreaks as high as at the start of the pandemic, as much of the country is now vaccinated. But there could be localized peaks in areas with low vaccination rates.

States with the current worst epidemics, including Arkansas, Missouri, Florida and Nevada, have relatively low vaccination rates, hovering around 50% of the population with at least one dose, according to site data. Act Now COVID Tracker.

Those numbers are compared to vaccination rates of over 70 percent in Vermont and Massachusetts, states that are doing much better.

Walensky said local officials may consider ordering masks in areas of the country with low vaccination rates, but said decisions will be local. The CDC’s national guidelines on masks have not changed – those who are fully vaccinated are protected and do not need to wear masks in most settings, except in places like airplanes.

“If you have low vaccination rates and high case rates, I would say local decision makers might be wondering if masking at this point would be something that would be helpful for their community until they increase their rates. vaccination, ”said Walensky.

But the overall message was still to get vaccinated, a point that is harder to understand now that the most enthusiastic Americans have already received the vaccine and that many of the roughly 30 percent of adults who are not vaccinated are resistant. .

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“Almost all of the deaths that we are currently seeing from COVID-19 could have been prevented,” he said.