US Experiencing ‘A Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’
Voice of America
The U.S. is experiencing a rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus among unvaccinated people is largely responsible for the outbreak.
Four states with low vaccination rates were responsible for 40% of last week’s new cases, but cases have risen in all 50 states, officials say. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday that last week the U.S. had a daily average of 26,000 new cases. She said the outbreak has become “a pandemic of the unvaccinated.” Later Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden repeated Walensky’s assessment, saying, “The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated.” A group of international government advisers say they are concerned about England’s plans to lift virtually all its pandemic restrictions Monday. The advisers believe that would leave Britain susceptible to new coronavirus variants, possibly transforming the country into a superspreader location.Police and forensic officials outside Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan's residential building after he was operated for stab injuries following a scuffle with an intruder at his home in Mumbai, Jan. 16, 2025. FILE - Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan arrives for a promotional event of his upcoming Hindi-language neo-noir film "Vikram Vedha" in Mumbai, Sept. 7, 2022.
Nasrieen Habib, left, and Makiya Amin pull their snow tubes on top of a hill during an outing organized by the group Habib founded to promote outdoors activities among Muslim women, at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Minn., Jan. 4, 2025. Nawal Hirsi, right, goes snow tubing with her family as part of a group promoting outdoors activities by Muslim women, at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove, Minn., on Jan. 4, 2025.