The US reaches the target of 70% of adults with at least one dose of the vaccine as infections grow rampant

The United States reached this Monday, almost a month late, the goal that

70% of its adult population have at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

The president, Joe Biden, had set that purpose for July 4, but the drop in the immunization rate prevented it from being fulfilled.

Now the vaccination rate is increasing again, probably due to the fact that the delta variant has also triggered infections and hospitalizations throughout the country, which has already accumulated 35 million cases since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and is the one that newest infections records from around the world.

Between July 26 and July 31, more than 816,000 people were vaccinated

, of which 517,000 received their first dose, according to White House COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar.

"Since the week of July 5, there has been a constant increase in the number of people who are getting vaccinated," he explained in a message on the social network Twitter.

In total,

almost 165 million people have been fully immunized

, representing 49.6% of the population, while another 26.7 million have received at least one dose, or 57.7% of all US citizens. or 70% of adults, according to official data.

This upward trend is in tune with the efforts of the authorities to promote vaccination, which have led Biden, for example, to

ask states and cities to reward those who are immunized with $ 100

, and to force federal workers to do so or have to undergo rigorous tests

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The spread of the delta variant has skyrocketed cases due to its high transmissibility, which an internal document from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) equates with chickenpox or Ebola. 

"This is what we know about the delta variant," explained Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, at a press conference Monday afternoon.

"If you were infected with the alpha variant, the original, you could infect two people, with delta there are up to five unvaccinated people, more than double

.

"

A vaccination card against COVID-19 Wilfredo Lee / AP

Walenski added that the guidelines of the health authorities regarding schools "are very clear ... all people from preschool to Adelatne must be vaccinated, adults, vaccinated or not vaccinated, must wear a mask."

Although the CDC warns that regardless of what they recommend,

the school authorities of each state have the power to require or not the vaccine

against COVID-19 to enroll in the school year.

The low level of vaccination carried over in the first weeks of summer favored the increase in infections, especially among unvaccinated people. 

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Thus, the country registered more than 100,000 daily cases last Friday, according to the CDC, a figure that had not been seen since February, when the vaccination process had just begun.

Additionally, COVID-19 deaths increased 33% and hospitalizations 46% on average in the past seven days, compared to the previous week.

The United States is also the country with the most deaths in absolute numbers, standing at 613,254.

Nationally,

California is already the state with the most infections, exceeding the four million barrier

, although Florida is currently the epicenter of the pandemic.

Authorities reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, a record for the state since the start of the pandemic;

in addition, the number of hospitalizations is also at its highest point in the entire crisis.

["Things will get worse": Fauci warns that the US awaits more "pain and suffering" due to the delta variant and the unvaccinated]

Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has resisted demanding the use of the mask and vaccination, and together with the state Congress, has limited the ability of local officials to impose measures to break the chain of transmission of the virus.

Last Friday it also banned school districts from forcing students to wear face masks when they return to class next month.

With information from The Washington Post and NBC