COVID: US witnesses eight-month high in hospitalisations as Delta variant strikes

Ever since the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen crossed international borders, the US has continued to be the most affected country, facing multiple waves in almost two years. Now, the country’s Health and Human Services reports that the total hospitalisations in the country have reached an eight-month high of over 100,000 on August 26. With a resurgence in COVID caseload, triggered by the highly transmissible Delta variant, hospitalisations have more than doubled in the month of July and continue on the upward trajectory. 

According to the latest tally by worldometers, the country has reported a total of 39,342,153 cases, out of whom 651,956 people have lost their lives. Despite over 30,732,120 people successfully beating the infection, hospitalisations have increased significantly. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 500 COVID patients were admitted to the hospital last week. 

According to the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), the state of Florida has the highest number of coronavirus hospitalisations. It is followed by the states of Texas and California. However, HHS clarified that despite Florida leading the number of hospitalised patients, the states of Alabama, Florida and Georgia have reported the highest requirement of ICU beds. 

Surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by Delta variant 

The US public health officials claim that the recent surge in COVID cases is fuelled mainly by the highly infectious Delta variant. According to reports, the officials said that this variant is targeting unvaccinated people in the country. The situation is particularly grim in the Southern part of the country, which has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the US, they added. As far as the vaccination rate of the country is concerned, a little over 50 per cent of people are fully vaccinated, while more than 70 per cent of adults have received at least one dose. Meanwhile, the country's top health officials recently announced that the booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines would be available for all adults in America beginning next month. It should be mentioned that the US remains the worst-hit country, followed by India, Brazil, Russia and France. 

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