The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Rochelle Walensky, is warning the nation COVID-19 is becoming a âpandemic of the unvaccinated.â
During a White House press briefing on Friday, Walensky explained how cases are rising in parts of the United States.
âThis is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated. We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage,â Walensky said.
She added, âCommunities that are fully vaccinated are generally faring well.â
According to Walensky, in the last week, 10% of counties have transitioned to high transmission risk, and 7% of counties have moved to substantial risk.
Watch her comments below:
As of July 15, more than 388 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed, and over 336 million have been administered. There has also been a 26% increase in hospitalizations over the past two weeks, according to The New York Times.
The White House has been working to combat misinformation about the vaccine. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy spoke out against health misinformation during a White House press briefing on Thursday, as IJR reported.
He said health misinformation is âone of the biggest obstacles thatâs preventing us from ending this pandemic.â
Murthy added, âToday, we live in a world where misinformation poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nationâs health.â
He explained during the pandemic, âHealth misinformation has led people to resist wearing masks in high-risk settings. Itâs led them to turndown proven treatments and to choose not to get vaccinated. This has led to avoidable illness and death.â
The surgeon general also claimed, âHealth misinformation has cost us lives.â
The Washington Post cited a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll showing 29% of Americans said they were unlikely to get vaccinated.
