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Data: CSSE Johns Hopkins University; Note: Data for Rhode Island and Iowa is from CDC and July 12-19; Map: Axios Visuals
Coronavirus infections are increasing dramatically across the United States as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads.
The big picture: Some “breakthrough” infections affect those who are vaccinated, but this rising tide of cases and hospitalizations is primarily a threat to those who are not vaccinated. And in some parts of the country, most people are not vaccinated – so the virus can still cause serious damage.
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Where he is : Nationally, the average number of new cases per day has increased by 55% over the past week.
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New cases have increased in 46 states, and many of those increases are substantial.
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Florida now averages just under 6,500 new cases per day – by far the most of any state, and a 91% jump from the previous week.
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New cases have more than doubled over the past week in Mississippi, from about 320 per day to about 660 per day. The state has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country; only 34% of its residents are fully vaccinated.
Earlier this summer, the United States appeared to have COVID-19 on the ropes. But now the Delta variant is sweeping the country.
“Revolutionary infections” – people who have contracted the virus even after being vaccinated – receive a lot of attention as cases increase. But it is clear that these infections are not the main driver of this new wave of cases, and that vaccinated people are much, much safer than unvaccinated people.
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97% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 infections are unvaccinated, the CDC said last week, and federal officials previously said about 99% of people who died from the virus were unvaccinated.
In numbers : More than 160 million Americans are fully immunized.
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Of those 160 million people, only 3,733 were subsequently hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infection, according to the CDC’s latest update, and 791 died from the virus.
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Clinical trials have shown Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to be 94-95% effective in preventing serious illness and death. There will be people in the other 5-6%. This doesn’t mean that the vaccines don’t work; these cases are worthy of mention precisely because they are rare.
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Real-world evidence consistently shows that vaccines continue to offer strong protection against the Delta variant.
More evidence vaccine effectiveness came just this week, in a study – which has yet to be peer reviewed – of healthcare workers in India.
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In this study of around 28,000 vaccinated health workers, only 5% developed symptomatic infections after being vaccinated. Only 83 people had to be hospitalized and none died.
The bottom line: Vaccines are the most effective weapon against this pandemic, but they only work if we use them.
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