Unvaccinated Americans are at risk of an aggressive and more dangerous Covid-19 variant. These are the most vulnerable states

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Mon, 2021-06-21 10:16 — mike kraft

Unvaccinated Americans are at risk of an aggressive and more dangerous Covid-19 variant. These are the most vulnerable states Some states are making great strides in vaccinating their residents against Covid-19, but the ones that are not may soon be contending with a more transmissible variant, experts say. Madeline Holcombe, CNN CNN

(CNN) Some states are making great strides in vaccinating their residents against Covid-19, but the ones that are not may soon be contending with a more transmissible variant, experts say.

About 45.1% of the US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, CDC data showed, and in 16 states and Washington, DC, that proportion is up to half. But some states like -- Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming -- have fully vaccinated less than 35% of residents.

More than 500 days and 600,000 deaths since the first person in the United States was reported to have died from Covid-19, experts have upheld vaccines as the key to reopening the country safely and containing the variants, many of which are more transmissible.

The Delta variant, which is believed to be more transmissible and cause more severe disease, could cause an upsurge in infections, but the levels will vary depending on the rates of vaccination in each area, said former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration Scott Gottlieb on CBS's Face the Nation.

"When we look across the United States, we see wide variance in terms of vaccination rates," said Gottlieb, who compared places like Vermont and Connecticut, which have rates of over 80% with others that are struggling to get to 50%.

New research suggests less vaccinated areas are at risk. Scientists at Helix analyzed nearly 20,000 Covid-19 tests collected since April and found the Delta variant is quickly rising in counties with fewer vaccinated residents.

Models for Delta's spread show the fall could see a peak of around 20% of the infections the US recorded in January, but the distribution of those predicted surges is not even across all areas, Gottlieb explained.

"Connecticut, for example where I am, shows no upsurge of infection, but Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, show very substantial upsurges of infection. That's based entirely on how much population wide immunity you have based on vaccination," he said. ...

Steve Edwards, the CEO of CoxHealth, a system of hospitals and clinics based in Missouri, told CNN on Friday that the Delta variant is unlike others.

"We can't tell why one patient is doing poorly and one is doing well. There's just something different about how this variant is affecting the immune system of our patients," Edwards said.

He added along with low vaccination rates in Missouri, the Delta variant is playing a big role in the surge of cases at his hospitals. ...

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