By Maria Caspani
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the United States are at a six-month high, fueled by the rapid spread of the Delta variant across swathes of the country grappling with low vaccination rates.
According to a Reuters tally of public health data, COVID-19 cases have averaged 100,000 for three days in a row, up 35% over the past week. The disease surge was most substantial in Louisiana, Florida, and Arkansas. (Graphic of U.S. coronavirus cases) https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-TRENDS/dgkvlgkrkpb
Hospitalizations rose 40%, and deaths, a lagging indicator, registered an 18% uptick in the past week, with the most fatalities by population in Arkansas. The intensifying spread of the pandemic has led to the cancellation of some significant, high-profile events. One notable exception is an annual motorcycle rally in South Dakota proceeding as planned.
According to the analysis, Florida set records for hospitalizations for eight days in a row. In that state, most students are due back in the classroom this week as some school districts debate whether to require masks for pupils. On Sunday, the head of the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union announced a shift in the course by backing mandated vaccinations for U.S. teachers to protect young students.
The number of children hospitalized with COVID-19 is rising nationwide; a trend health experts attribute to the Delta variant being more likely to infect children than the original Alpha strain. With the virus again upending Americans’ lives after a brief summer lull, the push to vaccinate those still reluctant has gained fresh momentum.
States, including California, New York, and Virginia, have mandated vaccinations or weekly testing for state employees and several cities. The administration of President Joe Biden set new rules late last month requiring federal workers to provide proof of vaccination or face regular testing, mask mandates, and travel restrictions.
In the private sector, many companies are also mandating COVID-19 vaccinations. United Airlines, meatpacker Tyson Foods Inc, and Microsoft require vaccination of employees.
STURGIS CROWDS
The evolving pandemic and the rapid community spread spurred by the Delta variant have already prompted the cancellation of some large-scale events. Last week, organizers canceled the New York Auto Show set for later this month. The New Orleans Jazz Fest was canceled for the second year as Louisiana fought a severe outbreak.
But fears about the Delta variant seem not to have dampened the mood in Sturgis, a small town in South Dakota that welcomes hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. This year’s gathering, Aug. 6-15, might already attract record crowds.
“It is one of the biggest crowds I have seen,” Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin said in an email. “I think there will be some spread.” Sturgis has partnered with health officials to provide COVID-19 self-test kits to rally-goes, but the event does not require proof of vaccination or mask-wearing.
Last year, the rally became the super-spreader event that many feared it would become. While cases and hospitalizations were relatively low in South Dakota when the event started on Aug. 7, 2020, the state set a record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients and new infections three months later.
According to a Reuters tally, in November alone, the state lost 521 people to COVID-19, nearly three times the number of deaths reported in October. (Reporting by Maria Caspani, Editing by David Gregorio)
