United States Covid-19: Rates of new cases almost 3 times higher in states with low vaccination rates, new data shows

And Arkansas is one of 10 states where the rate of new cases has jumped more than 25% in the past week from the previous week. Of those 10 states, all but one – Delaware – had below-average vaccination rates.

On the flip side, Vermont leads the country in terms of vaccination rates, with 66% of its residents fully vaccinated.

Vermont also has the lowest rate of new Covid-19 cases – less than 1 per 100,000 people every day over the past week, according to Johns Hopkins. This is a drop of almost 16% compared to the previous week.

The gap in progress between highly vaccinated states and those lagging behind in immunization continues to widen.

Parts of the South, Southwest and Midwest are starting to see flare-ups, said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University.

Florida is particularly badly affected, with about 17% of all new cases in the United States reported outside the Sunshine State, he said.

“People will continue to die until we vaccinate everyone,” Reiner said.

And for young people who don’t think they need to be vaccinated, Reiner said his hospital has seen many young adults with Covid-19 or complications from Covid months long after infection.

“What I would tell young people is that Covid-19 doesn’t have to kill you to ruin your life,” he said.

Why unvaccinated people might want to get vaccinated soon

All 50 states and Washington, DC, have reported cases of the highly contagious Delta variant.

“We have learned that this virus, a variant of Covid, is highly transmissible – the most transmissible we have seen to date,” US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said last week.

“This is, again, a serious threat and we are seeing it spreading among the unvaccinated.”

The virus carries a group of mutations, including one known as L452R, that helps it more easily infect human cells.

The director general of the World Health Organization also said that “Delta is the most transmissible of the variants identified to date”.

“The more we allow the virus to spread, the more opportunity the virus has to change,” advised the World Health Organization last month.

Renewed debate over masks as Delta variant spreads

In areas with high Covid-19 transmission and low vaccination rates, even vaccinated people may want to wear masks, said Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“When I’m in that area where there’s a considerable degree of viral circulation, I might want to go the extra mile to be careful enough to make sure I’m getting the extra level of protection – even though the vaccines themselves are highly effective, ”Fauci told NBC on Sunday.

But Reiner said the vaccines provide strong enough protection that those who are vaccinated do not need to wear masks except for those with extenuating circumstances such as a weakened immune system.

Vaccination is “the ticket to getting back to life,” he said.

“Currently, about 1,000 counties in the United States have vaccine coverage below 30%. These communities, mainly in the Southeast and Midwest, are the most vulnerable,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle said Thursday. Walensky. “As the Delta variant continues to spread across the country, we expect to see increased transmission in these communities, unless we can immunize more people now.”

Former US Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb said masks could become standardized for some people seeking to protect themselves against respiratory pathogens – whether it’s coronavirus or flu.

“I think people are going to use them on a voluntary basis,” Gottlieb told “Face the Nation” on CBS on Sunday. “I think going to work with the sniffles is going to be frowned upon. I think companies are going to have access to routine testing.”

What will happen next winter depends on us this summer

Zients said the federal government will redouble its efforts this summer to get more people vaccinated so they can safely return to normal lives.

“The most reliable messenger is the local doctor, the local health care provider, so more and more we have vaccines in doctors’ offices, in health care clinics, so people can get answers to. their questions and roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, ”Zients mentioned.

Vaccine expert Dr Paul Offit estimated in May that 80% of the population will need to be immunized with vaccines or previous infections to avoid a winter wave.

Offit is director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccine Advisory Board.

This immunity of 80% of the population could be achieved through a combination of vaccination and immunity against natural infections, he said.