New cases of COVID-19 are on the rise across the United States, fueled by the more infectious Delta variant and a lull in vaccinations, raising fears of a virus resurgence as President Biden urges unvaccinated Americans to get their hands dirty.
According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Johns Hopkins data, an average of 32,387 new coronavirus cases were reported each day over the past week, more than double the seven-day average from ten days prior.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hospitalizations due to the virus increased by 35.8% between July 7 and 13 compared to the previous seven days.
According to a Reuters analysis, deaths, which can lag behind other indicators, increased by 25% last week, reaching an average of 250 per day.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the virus’s deaths have decreased significantly since a peak of 4,400 deaths in a single day in January.
As a result, Biden urged those who haven’t yet been vaccinated to do so as soon as possible.
“If you’re unvaccinated, you are not protected,” Biden told reporters. “So please, please get vaccinated now. It works. It’s safe, it’s free, it’s convenient. You know? This virus doesn’t have to hold you back any longer.”
Biden’s remarks come as vaccination rates have dropped across the country, and doctors are warning about the highly contagious Delta variant.
According to the CDC, the mutation, which first appeared in India last year, now accounts for the majority of cases of the virus in the United States.
Meanwhile, fewer than 400,000 Americans are getting their first vaccine dose every day, down from more than 2 million in April.
According to the Associated Press, more than 90 million people who are eligible for the vaccine have not received it.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the increase in cases and hospitalizations has been more severe in states where vaccination rates are lower.
According to state data, just over 40% of Arkansas’ population aged 12 and up is fully vaccinated.
According to CDC data, only about half of the population (48%) is fully vaccinated, and only slightly more than half (56%) has received at least one shot.
According to a CDC report cited by the Wall Street Journal last month, only 38% of people aged 18 to 29 received at least one dose, the lowest rate of any group. According to the report, the elderly had the highest rate at 80%.
“We’re in a hot mess,” Ben Amick, an epidemiology professor at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, told the outlet.
“Everybody’s tired. Everybody’s exhausted. Everybody’s ready for it to be done, and everybody believes that it was done earlier in the summer. We have a substantial problem now.”
Concerns about the spread of the variant spooked Wall Street on Monday, sending the Dow down 725 points, or 2.1 percent, in its worst day since October. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq each dropped 1.6 percent and 1.1 percent.
