As the Delta variant wreaks havoc across the country, health and government officials warn that low vaccination areas are being hit the hardest. Hospitals in those areas are becoming overwhelmed with patients.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Friday the state had seen an “astronomical” amount of coronavirus cases, particularly among the younger population.
“I can tell you that for the last couple of days, 28% of all the new cases that we’re reporting are in children zero to 17,” the governor said.
Alabama now has a negative amount of ICU beds available for COVID patients. Health officer Dr. Scott Harris said the state is seeing the highest number of cases in children than at any other point during the pandemic.
And in Kansas, six of the state’s largest hospitals are at 100% capacity for ICU beds. The unvaccinated make up the majority of those hospitalized, and the state saw more people admitted to the hospital than any other single day.
Officials hope that the impending approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will ease hesitancy for those who are eligible but remain unvaccinated. The FDA could approve the shot as early as Monday, CNN reports.
So far, a little more than 60 percent of the US population has received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. And a little more than half of the population is now fully vaccinated.
