It’s official. The Delta variant is now king in COVID America, responsible for 83.2% of novel coronavirus infections in the U.S., the CDC said last night. That’s up from 51.7% from two weeks ago, when a new estimate, based on genomic surveillance data nationwide, was last available.
According to the CDC, more than 93% of new cases in the Plains and Upper Plains states are caused by the Delta variant. In New York, and much of the South, the share of cases linked to the Delta variant are above 80%.
The variant is the reason for the swift resurgence in new cases, which have increased to a 7-day average of 37,673 daily nationwide, 141% more than two weeks ago, according to a Coins2Day analysis of CDC data. That number is still well off the pandemic peak, when the U.S. Reported well over 200,000 new cases daily, but the rate of new cases is climbing quickly. Every state is currently reporting more new cases of the virus per day than they did two weeks ago.
Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and Louisiana are current hotspots for the virus, with each of those states reporting 200 new COVID cases per 100,000 residents over the past week. Rates are lowest in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.
The fast-spreading variant adds still more urgency to the drive to get Americans vaccinated. Those efforts have plateaued in recent weeks, with the percent of U.S. Adults with at least one COVID shot still hovering around 68%, barely above the rate a month ago.
States with low vaccination rates are especially vulnerable to the virus’ resurgence. Less than 60% of adults in Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana, for example, have received a COVID shot. As health systems in Arkansas have been strained by the influx of new COVID patients, public leaders have become more vocal about promoting vaccination.
While the vaccines are not 100% effective, studies so far show the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson shots to be effective in protecting against severe disease. Experts have also begun to call for people regardless of vaccination status to return to wearing masks indoors to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Share of the U.S. Population 18+ that has received at least once shot
| State | Share vaccinated |
| Alabama | 51.8% |
| Alaska | 63.1% |
| Arizona | 63.6% |
| Arkansas | 55.2% |
| California | 76.8% |
| Colorado | 71.1% |
| Connecticut | 80.8% |
| Delaware | 71.5% |
| District of Columbia | 74.3% |
| Florida | 66.8% |
| Georgia | 56.1% |
| Guam | 75.3% |
| Hawaii | 84.2% |
| Idaho | 53.9% |
| Illinois | 73.5% |
| Indiana | 57.6% |
| Iowa | 64.9% |
| Kansas | 63.4% |
| Kentucky | 62.7% |
| Louisiana | 50.7% |
| Maine | 78.7% |
| Maryland | 76.4% |
| Massachusetts | 83.5% |
| Michigan | 63.5% |
| Minnesota | 71% |
| Mississippi | 48.2% |
| Missouri | 57.8% |
| Montana | 59.3% |
| Nebraska | 66.4% |
| Nevada | 63.9% |
| New Hampshire | 74.6% |
| New Jersey | 78% |
| New Mexico | 78.1% |
| New York | 74.1% |
| North Carolina | 60.9% |
| North Dakota | 56.3% |
| Ohio | 60.2% |
| Oklahoma | 58.6% |
| Oregon | 71% |
| Pennsylvania | 77.2% |
| Puerto Rico | 77.1% |
| Rhode Island | 77.3% |
| South Carolina | 55.9% |
| South Dakota | 65.2% |
| Tennessee | 53.9% |
| Texas | 63.1% |
| Utah | 66.7% |
| Vermont | 86.2% |
| Virgin Islands | 51.1% |
| Virginia | 72.5% |
| Washington | 75.9% |
| West Virginia | 54.6% |
| Wisconsin | 66.5% |
| Wyoming | 51.2% |
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