June 22, 2021 – COVID-19 transmission is accelerating in several poorly vaccinated states, primarily in the South plus Missouri and Utah, and more young people are turning up at hospitals. The data presents the clearest sign of a rebound in the U.S. in months, according to Bloomberg.
HHS says that in Missouri, Arkansas, and Utah, the seven-day average of hospital admissions with confirmed COVID-19 has increased more than 30% in the past two weeks.
In Mississippi, the hospitalization rate is up 5% in that same period.
An analysis by Helix, a genomics firm, suggests that the highly contagious delta variant in particular, which has prompted concern worldwide as it leads to new surges of COVID-19 across the globe, is spreading in undervaccinated pockets of the U.S.
While the U.S. as a whole has made extraordinary progress in its vaccine push – giving at least one dose to over 53% of the population – all the states with mounting transmission trail the national average.
Mississippi has given a single does to just 35%. Additionally, testing in Mississippi has dropped off significantly, with the seven-day average nationwide plummeting 55% in the past three months, which makes case counts a less reliable indicator.