US COVID-19 Cases Rising Rapidly As Delta Dominates

Despite having among the highest availability of vaccines of any country, America’s immunisation campaign has dropped steeply since April; France warns its nationals against travelling to Spain or Portugal

WASHINGTON

Covid cases are rising rapidly in the United States as the highly contagious Delta variant dominates and vaccinations stagnate, data showed on Wednesday.

The seven-day average of new cases was 13,859 as of July 6, up 21 per cent compared to two weeks earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Cases attributed to the most recent days might rise further because of a reporting lag following the July 4 holiday weekend.

The spike comes as the Delta variant, which is more transmissible than any previous strain, accounted for around 52 per cent of cases in the two weeks ending July 3, according to the CDC.

Despite having among the highest availability of vaccines of any country, America’s immunization campaign has dropped off steeply since April.

President Joe Biden narrowly missed his goal of having 70 per cent adults at least partly vaccinated by Independence Day, with the current figure at 67 per cent.

Regions in the Midwest and South with lower vaccination rates are experiencing higher case rates than regions with high vaccination rates such as the Northeast, a trend that has become increasingly clear in recent weeks.