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Joe Biden on Tuesday urged more Americans to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as cases begin to rise in the United States, fueled largely by Delta variant.
The U.S. president announced a number of measures to encourage vaccination, as officials say the virus is likely to spread to parts of the country with low inoculation rates.
Biden’s warning is the highly transmissible Delta variant crosses the United Kingdom, which has a vaccination rate similar to that of the US, causing an increase in cases there.
The UK mortality rate remains low, but US officials do warned in recent days on U.S. pockets, where low vaccination rates make them especially dangerous due to a new wave of infections.
“Millions of Americans are not yet vaccinated and are unprotected. And that’s why their communities are at risk, their friends are at risk, the people who care about them are at risk, ”Biden said on Tuesday. “This is an even bigger concern because of the Delta variant.”
The United States now records an average of about 13,000 new cases a day, up from just over 11,000 two weeks ago. Health officials are concerned that areas with low vaccination rates will become hot spots that could lead to an increase in hospitalizations and allow the virus to mutate even further as it continues to circulate.
In Missouri, Delta accounts for about 90 percent of new coronavirus infections, according to a Financial Times analysis, and growing cases have forced some hospitals to relocate patients to other facilities. A hospital said it faced a temporary shortage of fans over the Independence Day weekend.
About 39% of the Missouri population is completely vaccinated.
Rochelle Walensky, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said last week that there were 1,000 counties across the country where vaccination rates remained below 30%.
The CDC has estimated that the Delta variant accounts for about a quarter of all infections in the U.S.
In the meantime, data from IsraelOver the weekend I suggested that the BioNTech / Pfizer vaccine, which accounts for more than half of the doses administered in the U.S., is 64% effective in preventing infection by the Delta variant, which is lower than previous strains.
Measures announced by Biden on Tuesday include setting up workplace vaccination clinics, establishing more mobile vaccination clinics and improving access for 12- to 18-year-olds.
The administration will also supply more doses to medical offices and send advocates to visit people at the front door to provide information about vaccines.
Additional reports from James Politi in Washington
Efficacy of the vaccine against the Delta variant
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