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(CNN) -
Some states are making great strides in vaccinating their residents against COVID-19, but those that don't may soon face a more communicable variant, experts say.
About 45.1% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, CDC data showed, and in 16 states and Washington that proportion is more than half.
But some states like Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Wyoming have fully vaccinated less than 35% of residents.
More than 500 days and 600,000 deaths have passed since the first person in the United States was reported to have died from Covid-19.
And experts have argued that vaccines are the key to safely reopening the country and containing the variants, many of which are more transmissible.
The delta variant, which is believed to be more communicable and cause more severe disease, could lead to increased infections, but levels will vary based on vaccination rates in each area, said the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration of United States (FDA), Scott Gottlieb in CBS's "Face the Nation."
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"When we look across the United States, we see a lot of variation in terms of vaccination rates," said Gottlieb, who compared places like Vermont and Connecticut, which have vaccination rates of more than 80%, with others struggling to get there. fifty%.
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The fewer vaccines, the more risk
New research suggests that the least vaccinated areas are at risk.
Helix scientists analyzed nearly 20,000 COVID-19 tests collected since April and found that the delta variant is increasing rapidly in counties with fewer vaccinated residents.
Models for the spread of the delta variant show that the drop could see a spike of about 20% of the infections that the United States recorded in January, but the distribution of those predicted increases is not uniform across all areas, Gottlieb explained.
“Connecticut, for example, where I am, doesn't show an increase in infection, but Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, show very substantial increases in infection.
That is entirely based on how much immunity the population has as a function of vaccination, "he said.
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Returning the focus to the communities
More than 300 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the United States, a feat that has allowed students to return to face-to-face classes, reopen businesses, and reunite with friends and families.
But there is still a long way to go, CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen warned over the weekend.
“We certainly have to admit that we have come a long way, and we are out of the worst.
We're not going to see the massive waves we saw over the holidays, ”said Wen, who is the former Baltimore Health Commissioner.
“The problem, however, is that we really should look at the numbers for each community instead of looking at the United States as a whole, because while the United States as a whole is doing much better, and there are areas of the country that have rates Very high vaccination rates, we also have parts of the country that are actually experiencing massive waves right now, where their hospitals are filling up again, ”Wen said.
The United States has focused on getting the vaccines out and getting them to mass vaccination sites, but now is the time to rethink how the doses are accessible, Gottlieb told CBS.
"Now we have to think about trying to distribute the vaccine in community sites where people can get it through a trusted intermediary, that will mean doctor's offices, schools, workplaces," Gottlieb said.
"We need to think of a different vaccine delivery strategy so that people who are still reluctant or still facing challenges access those access sites."
While health experts agree that full vaccination offers protection against some variants of the new coronavirus, Wen added that it is unknown whether a vaccine-resistant variant will emerge.
We just don't know.
If there is one thing we have learned during [the] Covid-19 pandemic, it is how much we need to be humble in the face of this virus, "he said.
He noted that it is "true" that new variants will be developed, which could make the vaccines a bit ineffective, but not entirely.
"This is another reason why those who are not vaccinated should get vaccinated as soon as possible," Wen said.
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Worrisome variants on the rise
The delta variant, along with the gamma or P.1 variant, have been considered variants of concern by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which means that its danger comes from its ability to transmit more easily or cause a more serious disease.
The gamma variant, first identified in Brazil, has been detected in every state in the United States, where the CDC has information on variants.
Vaccination has been shown to be the best way for the United States to get ahead of the variants.
A recent study by Public Health England found that two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are "highly effective against hospitalization" caused by the delta variant.
The study found that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective against hospitalization after two doses.
US Chief Health Officer Dr. Vivek Murthy previously told CNN that there is not enough data to indicate the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine against the delta variant, but it has shown which can help prevent hospitalizations and deaths when people are infected with other variants.
"The key is to get vaccinated, get both doses," Murthy said.
Steve Edwards, CEO of CoxHealth, a Missouri-based hospital and clinic system, told CNN on Friday that the delta variant is different from others.
“We cannot say why one patient is doing badly and another is doing well.
There is something different about how this variant is affecting our patients' immune systems, "Edwards said.
Along with low vaccination rates in Missouri, he added, the delta variant is playing a major role in increasing cases at its hospitals.
"I think the delta variant is what drives this," he said.
"Much of the South, the Midwest, a lot of the places that have low vaccination rates, if they deal with the delta variant, they will see a similar kind of surge in patients that we're starting to see now.
- Aya Elamroussi, from CNN; Virginia Langmaid, Naomi Thomas, and Susannah Cullinane contributed to this report.
coronavirus Delta variant
