More than 47% of people in the US are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
States that have vaccinated a smaller proportion of their residents reported an average of 6 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents each day for the past week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. But among states that vaccinated a higher proportion of residents, the average daily case rate was just 2.2 cases per 100,000 people.
Arkansas reported nearly 16 new cases per 100,000 people each day for the past week, roughly five times the rate of 3.4 cases per 100,000 people in the United States. Less than 35% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated.
Arkansas is also one of 10 states where cases increased more than 25% in the past seven days compared to the previous week. Of those 10 states, all but one have vaccinated a smaller proportion of residents than the United States overall. Delaware is the exception, with 50.5% of residents fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Vermont leads the nation in vaccination rate (66% of residents fully vaccinated) and reported the lowest rate of covid-19 cases (less than 1 case per 100,000 people each day), almost 16% less. than the week before.
Concern about the delta variant
Covid-19 cases have been on the rise as the delta variant spreads across the US, but areas with low vaccine application are experiencing disproportionately high levels of infection.
All 50 US states and the capital, Washington, have reported cases of the delta variant, which is believed to be more transmissible than other strains.
And while experts have emphasized that vaccines are the best defense and provide strong protection against the variant, parts of the country still lag behind in vaccination rates, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“As a nation, in general, we are doing very well. We have about 50% of the population that is vaccinated,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’. “But we have a large country with a disparity in the willingness to get vaccinated.”
Fauci has said that this disparity could result in “two America”: one where the majority of people are vaccinated against COVID-19 and another where low vaccination rates could lead to spikes in cases.
While some areas like Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine have fully vaccinated more than 60% of their total population against the virus, others lag far behind, according to the CDC.
Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi lag the furthest behind, with 35.3% or less of their population fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.