What you need to know about the new wave of COVID-19

The daily average of new coronavirus cases has nearly tripled in the past two weeks, as the delta variant crosses the United States and ravages states with low vaccination rates, particularly in the South.

Each state has seen its daily number of cases increase during this period. Among them, 21 saw their numbers double, 19 reported cases tripled and two even said their number had quadrupled, according to data from The New York Times.

On top of that, public health officials say unvaccinated people account for almost all of the hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 which are currently on the rise. Antoine FauciAnthony FauciCNN: Every county in Florida, Arkansas ranked “high transmission” for spread in the community Rising number of cases reignites debate over COVID-19 restrictions Trump’s Surgeon General: “The pandemic gets out of hand ”MORE, President BidenJoe BidenTrump Backs Ken Paxton vs. George P. Bush in Texas Attorney General Race GOP Lawmakers Call on Cuba to Meet Biden For families, sending money to Cuba shouldn’t be political football MOREThe chief medical officer of, said Sunday that “the epidemic among the unvaccinated” had started.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest wave of the pandemic.

Majority of Americans Still Not Fully Immunized

With less than half of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, a majority of Americans remain at risk of contracting the coronavirus and becoming seriously ill.

The 10 states with the highest number of daily cases per capita all have less than 50% of their residents fully immunized, according to data from the Times and the Mayo Clinic. These states are Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Nevada, Alaska, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Eight of 10 reported that less than 55% of their adult population is fully immunized, below the national average of 60%.

Overall, 49.1% of Americans, including those who are not eligible to be vaccinated, are considered fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disaster Control and Prevention (CDC).

Health experts say states with rates below this mark are more susceptible to new outbreaks like the one spreading in the United States

“It really is an epidemic among the unvaccinated,” Fauci told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “So this is a problem, mainly among the unvaccinated, which is why we are practically begging the unvaccinated people to go out and get the vaccine.”

Federal health officials said about 97% of COVID-19 hospitalizations occur among unvaccinated people – a statistic the White House press secretary Jen psakiJen PsakiSenators scramble to save infrastructure deal Overnight health care: New round of immunization warrants | Health groups ask for mandates for all health workers | Rising Case Numbers Revive Debate Over On The Money Restrictions: Senate Infrastructure Talks Shaky Basics | Trump tells Republicans to walk away | GOP views debt ceiling as leverage against Biden MORE reiterated to reporters on Monday.

“The more people who are vaccinated, the safer the county will be,” she said, while acknowledging the rare cases of breakthrough cases among those fully vaccinated.

Administration officials hope recent concerns about the delta variant begin to affect millions of Americans who were previously unvaccinated.

Psaki said on Monday that nearly 500,000 people received their first injection on Sunday.

“Numbers like this signal to us, people understand the urgency and importance of getting vaccinated and rightly so,” Psaki said during a White House briefing.

But not all Americans can get the vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration has not approved a COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12, leaving millions of children at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

Surge hits Southern and GOP-led states

Southern states, along with others led by Republican governors and legislatures, are among the hardest hit by the latest coronavirus spike.

States that voted for the former President TrumpDonald Trump Cuban Embassy in Paris attacked by Trump Jr. petrol bombs overtakes DeSantis as GOP’s most popular figure in new poll: Axios Trump backs Ken Paxton against George P. Bush in race for attorney general Texas PLUS in the 2020 elections are more likely to be among those with the highest number of cases per capita compared to states won by President Biden.

Twelve of the 15 states with the highest cases per 100,000 people voted for Trump, and 11 of the 15 states with the lowest cases per capita voted for Biden.

The three states as the White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff ZientsJeff Zients Low Vaccination Rates Among Nursing Home Staff Put Seniors at Risk Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board Urges Floridians to Get Vaccinated McConnell Pushes Vaccines, But GOP Scrambles Message MORE said 40% of all cases nationwide – Florida, Texas and Missouri – all backed the former president in November.

Additionally, 14 of the 15 states with the lowest rate of fully immunized residents sided with Trump last year, while the 15 states with the highest rates of full immunization all assigned their electoral votes to Biden.

The South saw a major spike in cases throughout July, reaching 25 per 100,000 people on Sunday, according to the Times, more than four times the rate in the Northeast.

The partisan divide in vaccination rates has been documented by the Kaiser Family Foundation, who earlier this month found out that counties that voted for Trump were lagging behind on vaccinations. The study found that 47% of people in Biden counties and 35% of those in Trump counties were fully vaccinated.

As red state cases increase, Republican lawmakers are becoming more and more outspoken about the importance of vaccines. Home minority whip Steve scaliseStephen (Steve) Joseph ScaliseFauci “encouraged” to see top Republicans push for vaccinations DOJ will not investigate nursing home deaths in New York and other states: Letter from Democrats calls into question GOP change on PLUS vaccines (R-La.) Said he received his first injection of COVID-19 last week due to concerns about the delta variant.

On Sunday, Fauci called on leaders in troubled areas to promote the vaccine, noting he was “encouraged” to hear people like Scalise talk about the benefits of vaccination.

“What I would really like to see is more and more leaders in these areas who are not vaccinating to come out and speak out and encourage people to get vaccinated,” he told CNN.

Not all states with high COVID-19 cases voted for Trump: Nevada gave electoral college votes to Biden, but ranks seventh in COVID-19 cases per capita, Times says .

Arkansas cases soar

Arkansas has become the hotspot for COVID-19 this summer. It now has the highest infection rate in the country, with 60 cases per 100,000 population.

Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, tweeted on Monday that Arkansas represents “the leading US outlier in the Delta wave for new cases.”

Since June 27, the state’s seven-day average number of cases has fallen from 236 to its current rate of 1,824 cases per day. In the past two weeks, COVID-19 cases have more than doubled, hospitalizations have increased 59% and deaths have increased 77%.

One hospital, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, on Monday marked its highest number of COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic, Chancellor Cam Patterson tweeted during the weekend.

The state also has the third-lowest full vaccination rate, at 36% of the total population, while 45.5% of all residents have received at least one injection, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Governor of Arkansas. Asa hutchinsonAsa HutchinsonCNN: All counties in Florida, Arkansas rated “high transmission” for community-broadcast Sunday shows – Jan. 6 survey dominates Fauci “encouraged” to see top Republicans encourage more vaccinations (R) lamented that vaccines had become “political” in an interview last week, later telling CNN on Sunday that opposition to the vaccine had “grown” in his condition due to “false information.”

“These are myths,” he said on “The State of the Union”.

“As I was on my way to these public meetings, someone said, ‘Don’t call it a vaccine; call it a biological weapon. And they talk about mind control. Well, these are clearly wrong. Other members of the community are correcting this. “

Sarah huckabeeSarah Sanders Trump set to resume rallies in June Andrew Giuliani plans run for New York Governor Trump appears at Sarah Huckabee Sanders campaign event MORE Sanders, who served as the White House press secretary under Trump and is now running for governor of Arkansas, advocated for the vaccine in an op-ed Sunday in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, presenting it as the “Trump vaccine”.

“I think the Trump vaccine will help keep our state open for business and grow our economy,” she wrote. “It’s clear that the Trump vaccine works and saves lives. “