The delta variant of the novel coronavirus is surging through the United States. But is it spreading in a specific area?
Where is the delta variant in the U.S.?
It’s all over the place.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said recently that the delta variant makes up 83% of all COVID-19 cases in the United States, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
- “This is a dramatic increase from up from 50%, the week of July 3,” Walensky said, according to CNBC.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the recent surge might be worse than we think.
- “We’re not doing a lot of testing. More of the testing that we are doing is antigen tests that are being done at home and not getting reported,” Gottlieb said. “So, I think we’re much further into this epidemic than we’re picking up and hopefully further through this epidemic.”
Is there a delta variant map?
The Centers for Disease Control Prevention has a COVID-19 case tracker that shows the percent of the total population vaccinated against COVID-19. The map shows the percent of the total population fully vaccinated and then compares it with the cases per 100,000 people.
- For example, much of the Northeast has a high number of vaccinations and low number of cases per 100,000 people. So the area is green on the map.
- However, the Southeastern U.S. is mainly colored in red due to low vaccinations and a high number of people infected.
The CDC advises caution about traveling to areas with low vaccination rates and a higher number of cases per 100,000 people.