"These communities, primarily in the Southeast and Midwest, are our most vulnerable," Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Thursday.
Here are four states where the hospitalization of patients with COVID-19 is increasing as the Delta variant is spreading through the US.
Arkansas (32% fully vaccinated)
The graph below shows new admissions of patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Arkansas as of June 29.
Delta variant prevalence for the state was not available, but as of June 19, the variant made up 46% of cases in the broader CDC region 8 (Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming).
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Vaccines protect against serious disease, even with Delta
The trends are in line with what US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said on Wednesday: those who are unvaccinated "are in trouble" and should act fast.
Those who are fully vaccinated have a "high degree of protection" even against the Delta variant, he said.
According to data from the UK, two doses of a vaccine are highly protective against developing even mild symptoms after catching the Delta variant: 88% for the Pfizer vaccine, and 60% for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
One dose of either is less protective against developing mild symptoms of the disease: 33% in both types.
However, a single dose of either vaccine offers substantial protection against developing a worse version of COVID-19.
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The AstraZeneca shot offers 71% efficacy against hospitalization, while the Pfizer shot offers 94% protection, data from the UK shows.
Johnson & Johnson and Moderna have also said that their vaccines remain efficient against the Delta variant, although published data is not yet available.
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