Fauci urges getting COVID vaccine as delta variant surges
Dr. Anthony Fauci Thursday warned Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible in the face of a fast new rise in cases and illnesses blamed on the virulent delta variant of the virus.
Fauci's simple message: Get the shot ASAP.
“The only conclusion one can reasonably come to ... is: Please get vaccinated,” Fauci told a virtual news conference by leaders of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. “It will protect you against the surging of the delta variant.”
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are up 7% in just a week.
The numbers are spiraling much more rapidly in relatively isolated parts of the nation where vaccination rates are low, especially the Midwest and Mountain West, she warned.
“This rapid rise is troubling,” Walensky said. “The delta variant is surging in pockets of the country.”
The only bright spot is that deaths from COVID-19 are still declining, although that could change as caseloads continue to shoot up in some places.
Walensky showed a map showing the worst hot spots in Missouri and Arkansas, where abysmally low vaccination rates have allowed the delta variant to spread like wildfire.
“Widespread vaccination is what will stop this pandemic,” she said.
More than 99% of all recent deaths from coronavirus were among people who chose not to be vaccinated.
“Those deaths were preventable with a simple, safe shot,” Walensky said.
Despite the mountain of evidence, health officials are still on the defensive against anti-vaxxers and right-wing lawmakers who are pushing back against vaccination education efforts.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson Wednesday ordered state health officials to snub President Joe Biden’s push to go door-to-door with vaccination information in vulnerable communities where rates are low, falsely saying they would “compel” people to get inoculated.
COVID-19 task force chief Dr. Jeff Zients denounced the resistance and defended aggressive outreach to save lives.
“This is important work by people who care about their family, friends and neighbors,” Zients said. “To those of you who are spreading disinformation ... you are doing a disservice to the country.”
