Unvaccinated Americans are at risk of a possibly আরো dangerous Covid-19 variant. These are the most vulnerable states

Some states are making great strides in vaccinating their residents against Covid-19, but the ones that are not may soon be contending with a more transmissible variant, experts say.

About 45.2% of the US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, CDC data showed, and in 16 states and Washington, DC, that proportion is up to more than half, and 16 have reached President Joe Biden’s goal to vaccinate 70% of adults with at least one dose.

But some states – such as Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming – have fully vaccinated less than 35% of residents.

More than 500 days and 600,000 deaths since the first person in the United States was reported to have died from Covid-19, experts have upheld vaccines as the key to reopening the country safely and containing the variants, many of which are more transmissible.

The Delta variant, which is believed to be more transmissible and cause more severe disease, could cause an upsurge in infections, but the levels will vary depending on the rates of vaccination in each area, said Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“When we look across the United States, we see wide variance in terms of vaccination rates,” said Gottlieb, who compared places like Vermont and Connecticut, which have rates of over 80%, with others that are struggling to get to 50%.

New research suggests less vaccinated areas are at risk. Scientists at Helix analyzed nearly 20,000 Covid-19 tests collected since April and found the Delta variant is quickly rising in counties with fewer vaccinated residents.

Models for Delta’s spread show the fall could see a peak of around 20% of the infections the US recorded in January, but the distribution of those predicted surges is not even across all areas, Gottlieb explained.

“Connecticut, for example where I am, shows no upsurge of infection, but Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, show very substantial upsurges of infection. That’s based entirely on how much population wide immunity you have based on vaccination,” he said.

In Springfield, Missouri, the low rate of vaccinations combined with the Delta variant has led to a six-fold increase in hospitalizations at CoxHealth, a health care system there, according to its CEO, Steve Edwards.

Over the past four and a half weeks, the number of patients has risen from around 14 to 83, Edwards told CNN on Monday, adding that the patients are younger and have more severe disease than previously – and almost all are unvaccinated.

The Delta variant made up about 10% of cases that were tested three or four weeks ago, he said. “As of last week, it appeared to be 90%.”

“I think it is the Delta variant, and there is a lot of kindling with low vaccination rates, so it’s spreading very rapidly.”

This influx has put new pressures on his staff, Edwards said, compared to previous outbreaks.

“It is harder to know that you’re risking your well-being for someone that chose not to vaccinate, that then puts you and them at risk.”