White House: More people in states slammed by the Delta variant getting vaccine

Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator: “The threat is now predominantly only to the unvaccinated. The data is clear, the case increases are concentrated in communities with low vaccination rates. In fact, the counties with the highest case rates have significantly lower vaccination rates than counties with lower case rates. This week, just three states, Florida, Texas and Missouri, three states with lower vaccination rates accounted for 40 percent of all cases nationwide. For the second week in a row, one in five of all cases occurring in Florida alone. And within communities, these cases are primarily among unvaccinated people. Importantly, states with the highest cases are actually seeing their vaccination rates go up. In fact, in the past week, the five states with the highest case rates, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, had a higher rate of people getting newly vaccinated compared to the national average. This is a very positive trend. For the second week in a row, states with lower vaccination and higher case rates are seeing their vaccination rates grow faster than the national average. People in these states are feeling the impact of being unvaccinated and responding with action.”

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “The Delta variant is spreading with incredible efficiency and now represents more than 83% of the virus circulating in the United States compared to the virus we had circulating initially in the United States at the start of the pandemic. The Delta variant is more aggressive and much more transmissible than previously circulating strains. It is one of the most infectious respiratory viruses that we know of and that I have seen in my 20-year career. Please know we together are not out of the woods yet, and you will want to make thoughtful decisions to protect your health and the health of your family and your community. We are yet at another pivotal moment in this pandemic, with cases rising again and some hospitals reaching their capacity in some areas. We need to come together as one nation, unified in our resolve to protect the health of ourselves, our children, our community, our country and our future with the tools we have available. The greatest risk right now is to those who are unvaccinated, and we have consistently and repeatedly said, if you are unvaccinated, you need to be wearing a mask to protect yourself and others around you. And we need more people to get vaccinated to stop this pandemic. So overall, the CDC recommendations haven’t changed. Fully vaccinated people are protected from severe illness. If you’re in an area that has a high case rate and low rates of vaccination or where Delta cases are rising, you should certainly be wearing a mask if you are unvaccinated. If you are vaccinated, you get exceptional protection from the vaccines, but you have the opportunity to make the personal choice to add extra layers of protection if you so choose.”