Captured photo from Mayo Clinic

The U.K. and Europe are currently dealing with the sleuth of the very contagious Delta Variant of the Covid-19 virus, first found in India. The U.S. should expect to be hit hard by the Delta variant, federal officials and health officials have reported.

Dr. Fauci said, “20.6% of new cases in the U.S. are due to the Delta variant, and the Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the U.S. to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19,” at a White House briefing on COVID-19 on Tuesday. He added that the Delta variant is the most contagious yet and among those not yet vaccinated, may trigger some of the most serious illnesses than other variants have done so far.

As the U.S. eases up on physical distancing and masking rules, many people are exposed to this rapidly spreading virus, especially the unvaccinated, the younger generation, and those under the age of 12.

According to Mayo Clinic, at least 92.4% (as of June 2, 2021) of the age group of 65+ and only 11.1% of the age group of 18 are vaccinated. Northeast, West, and Mid-Atlantic states are more vaccinated than the red states, but even then, these states do not report a vaccination rate higher than 70 percent.

“There are still big portions of the country where the rates of vaccination are quite low,” notes Dr. Jeremy Luban, a virologist at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. “And, in fact, the Helix paper shows that this Delta variant is increasing in frequency — the speed at which it’s increasing in frequency is greatest in those areas where vaccination rates are lowest.”

It is also important to note that even those who are currently vaccinated are not fully protected from the devastating effects of the Delta variant, which also includes the growth of the “black fungus,” a serious infection that usually is resolved by cutting out the infected body part. The unvaccinated are even more vulnerable, however.

If you have not been vaccinated, please do so as soon as possible, for your safety and others around you.

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