WASHINGTON - The delta variant of the coronavirus now accounts for an estimated 83% of COVID-19 cases in the United States as it continues to surge largely among unvaccinated populations, officials said.
The percentage is a dramatic increase from the week of July 3, when the highly transmissible variant accounted for about 50% of genetically sequenced coronavirus cases."In some parts of the country, the percentage is even higher — particularly in areas of low vaccination rates," Dr.
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a U.S. Senate hearing on Tuesday.Walensky noted the large reductions in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S.