The Delta coronavirus variant continues to prove its threat as it washes through the unvaccinated population at a disturbing clip. The variant has wreaked havoc on hospitals, infected children at a concerning rate, and triggered another wave of mask mandates nationwide.
It's also brought something rare to the GOP's Covid-19 playbook: meaningful division.
Listen to what Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday when asked about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on local school officials imposing mask mandates.
"The local official should have control here. I don't want top down from Washington, DC. I don't want top down from a governor's office," Cassidy, who is also a physician, said on "State of the Union."
He continued:
Average cases have increased nine-fold since early July. As of Friday, America's seven-day average of daily Covid-19 cases was more than 107,100 -- the highest average in nearly six months, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Hospitalizations are highest since February. More than 66,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19 across the country as of late Saturday, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Child and teen Covid-19 cases jumped 84% in a week. Nearly 72,000 new child and teen Covid-19 cases were reported in the week between July 22 and July 29, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported last week -- a substantial increase from the previous week, when about 39,000 cases were reported.
Delta variant accounts for 93% of US Covid-19 cases. This includes several sub-lineages of Delta, all of which are classified as variants of concern. The number is even higher in parts of the country including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, where Delta accounts for more than 98% of circulating virus.
Most Americans live in substantial or high Covid-19 spread areas. Nearly 90% of Americans live in areas with "substantial" or "high" Covid-19 transmission, according to CDC data.
The categories below, issued by the CDC, are based on county-level data on the number of new cases per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate during the past seven days:
But. There is *some* good news.
Covid-19 vaccinations are picking up pace, with an average of more than 464,700 people initiating their vaccinations every day as of Thursday, CDC data shows.
"The ultimate answer" to turning around this surge is vaccination, emergency medicine physician and CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday.
"We know that what will stop the virus in its tracks and really is our only and best way out of the pandemic is to increase our vaccination rates."
It's also brought something rare to the GOP's Covid-19 playbook: meaningful division.
Listen to what Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday when asked about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on local school officials imposing mask mandates.
"The local official should have control here. I don't want top down from Washington, DC. I don't want top down from a governor's office," Cassidy, who is also a physician, said on "State of the Union."
He continued:
- "When it comes to local conditions, if my hospital is full and my vaccination rate is low and infection rate is going crazy, we should allow local officials to make those decisions best for their community."
- "Whenever politicians mess with public health, usually it doesn't work out well for public health, and ultimately it doesn't work out for the politician, because public health suffers and the American people want public health," Cassidy added.
Average cases have increased nine-fold since early July. As of Friday, America's seven-day average of daily Covid-19 cases was more than 107,100 -- the highest average in nearly six months, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Hospitalizations are highest since February. More than 66,000 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19 across the country as of late Saturday, according to data from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Child and teen Covid-19 cases jumped 84% in a week. Nearly 72,000 new child and teen Covid-19 cases were reported in the week between July 22 and July 29, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported last week -- a substantial increase from the previous week, when about 39,000 cases were reported.
Delta variant accounts for 93% of US Covid-19 cases. This includes several sub-lineages of Delta, all of which are classified as variants of concern. The number is even higher in parts of the country including Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, where Delta accounts for more than 98% of circulating virus.
Most Americans live in substantial or high Covid-19 spread areas. Nearly 90% of Americans live in areas with "substantial" or "high" Covid-19 transmission, according to CDC data.
The categories below, issued by the CDC, are based on county-level data on the number of new cases per 100,000 people and the test positivity rate during the past seven days:
Covid-19 vaccinations are picking up pace, with an average of more than 464,700 people initiating their vaccinations every day as of Thursday, CDC data shows.
"The ultimate answer" to turning around this surge is vaccination, emergency medicine physician and CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday.
"We know that what will stop the virus in its tracks and really is our only and best way out of the pandemic is to increase our vaccination rates."
