NY COVID Patients in ICUs Triple in Month; 77% of US Counties Now High Transmission Zones
What to Know
- More than 3/4 of all U.S. counties are now considered “high transmission” areas under the CDC’s new tracking system; that means universal indoor masking is recommended regardless of vaccination status
- In NJ, where the delta variant is responsible for more than 90% of COVID-positive samples tested, breakthrough infections represent a rising share of new hospitalizations, though the overall number is still low
- The FDA is expected to approve a booster dose Thursday for immunocompromised Americans while officials at all levels of government push once again to reach those who haven’t been vaccinated
The FDA is expected to approve a third dose for immunocompromised Americans on Thursday as the rampant spread of the delta variant, accountable for a still small but rising share of breakthrough infections, stokes new concerns about vaccine efficacy.
Breakthrough variance is significant by state, though it’s not exactly clear why. Fully vaccinated people have accounted for up to 4.3% of all COVID hospitalizations (Utah) in a given state since the vaccination rollout started, according to the New York Times, and up to 5.6% of deaths (Maine).
They’ve driven as few as 0.1% (Georgia) of new COVID hospitalizations and 0.2% of deaths (also in Georgia).
Gov. Phil Murphy in New Jersey shared data earlier this week that hammered the point home: In his state, fully vaccinated people accounted for 3% of new COVID hospitalizations the period July 20-26. They accounted for just 0.004% of new hospitalizations between the start of the vaccine rollout and July 26, an indication that the delta variant, which now represents more than 90% of all positives samples tested in the state, could be more resistant to existing vaccines than other strains.
Overall, experts agree vaccines prove to dramatically lower the risk of severe outcomes associated with COVID, which are the cases officials are most concerned about. Those at all levels of government, including the incoming New York governor, recognize the lion’s share of risk lies with the unvaccinated.
They’re developing new targeted strategies on top of incentives in a last-ditch effort to convince the holdouts that the virus, especially its latest mutated form, poses far more danger than a shot.
Hospitalizations among unvaccinated people have been soaring nationally and locally amid this delta-driven wave of the pandemic. In New York, total hospitalizations are at 1,367 as of the latest update, a 73% increase just since Aug. 1.
The number of COVID patients in intensive care units has more than tripled in a month and is up 78% percent since Aug. 1, state data shows. Daily statewide death tolls have been in the double digits for four straight days after a lengthy streak in the low single digits.
In New York City, the one-time epicenter of the pandemic, delta accounts for at least 83% of all positive samples sequenced, but that data is updated weekly on Fridays. If recent trends hold, that number could well top 90% when the next update comes.
All five counties that comprise New York City are considered “high transmission” areas by the CDC, with more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people in the last week. The same holds true for 10 of New Jersey’s 21 counties and a quarter of those in Connecticut, where an increasing number of cities and towns are renewing mask rules.
About 77% of all U.S. counties in America now fall into that high transmission category as well, an almost 13 percentage point increase in the last seven days and an alarming statistic for a country that appeared on the verge of cracking the pandemic’s back just a few months ago. Hospitals in hotspots are finding themselves strained again.
Some states, including New York, have seen mild success increasing the pace of vaccinations in the last few weeks. The number of doses administered daily in the state are double this month what they were in July, but doctors say it will take several weeks for the latest spike in cases and hospitalizations to level off as immunity kicks in.
That's why health experts continue to urge everyone to social distance, wash hands and wear face-covering because they are scientifically proven ways to reduce the risk of contracting viruses, regardless of vaccination status.
As of Thursday, 58.9% of the eligible U.S. population is fully vaccinated, while 69.1% have had at least one dose. In New York, nearly 70% of the population aged 18 and up is fully immunized, while 36.1% of those ages 12 to 15 can say the same.
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