A nurse administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a kid at a drive-thru COVID-19 testing and vaccination site at Barnett Park in Orlando.Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty
Even as the highly transmissible Delta variant rampages through the country, there’s a bit of good news: As of last week, more people in the United States are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 than unvaccinated. Vaccination rates are finally on a rise again after a slump in the summer months of June and July.
The Delta variant has been causing a surge in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths across the country, and public health experts have observed that areas with high vaccination rates are better protected than areas where few people are vaccinated.
Today, the 5 most vaccinated states (14M people) had
580 people in hospital, 12 deaths
In the 5 least vaccinated states (16M people)?
6,600 hospitalized, 104 deaths
Per capita , least vaccinated states have
10X hospitalizations and 7X deaths
So yeah, vaccines are working
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) August 10, 2021
The reason behind the recent uptick in vaccinations are many: Former anti-vaxxers who have become seriously ill with the virus are now urging people to get vaccinated. Vaccine mandates are becoming more common: Hospitals, government agencies, and large private companies such as McDonalds are requiring vaccinations for employees. New York City has started asking people to show proof of vaccination to dine indoors, go to gyms and entertainment venues.
As experts point out, kids have a higher a chance of being protected when adults around them are vaccinated.
Actually, while vaccination rates for kids under 12 are identical (0%) across states,
Infection numbers are not
In Massachusetts, about 250 kids under 10 years of age infected last week
In Florida, it was about 9,000
In Louisiana, it was about 1600
3/5
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) August 3, 2021
If you're one of the many Americans who recently got vaccinated, we want to hear your story. You can share it here.
