US Now On A ‘Race’ Vs. Delta Variant As Cases Surge In The Country

COVID-19 now has a new look. The highly contagious Delta variant spreads quickly in the United States and worldwide prompted new concerns from U.S. government officials.

In a televised interview per Al Jazeera, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that COVID-19 variations will return and "bite us," as the country already has with Delta.

The Secretary of State's warning comes as local communities around the United States are seeing devastating COVID-19 outbreaks from the Delta variety, which are infecting more young people and even people who have been vaccinated.

COVID-19 Delta variant was discovered in India. It has acquired the K417N spike protein mutation, which is also observed in the Beta variant discovered in South Africa.

As the highly dangerous Delta strain of the coronavirus spreads across the country, policymakers are making new efforts to persuade reluctant Americans to get vaccinated and wear face masks.

Reuters said more than 10,000 individuals had been admitted to hospitals in Florida as of Sunday, breaking the state's previous record. Louisiana's record was projected to be broken within 24 hours, prompting Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards to order residents to return to wearing masks indoors.

Dr. Catherine O'Neal, chief medical officer of Baton Rouge's Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, urged Louisianans to be vaccinated as hospitals are currently overburdened. She revealed at a press conference with Edwards that many nurses were sick with the infection.

As of midnight Tuesday morning, political authorities in eight San Francisco Bay Area counties renewed mandatory indoor mask regulations in public settings.

Transportation, jail, hospital, and nursing care personnel will be asked to get vaccinated or subject to frequent testing, according to the governors of New York and New Jersey. Denver mayor Michael Hancock said immunization will be required for the city's more than 11,000 employees.

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York has pushed bars, restaurants, and other private companies to require clients to be vaccinated before entering. If the number of cases does not decrease, Cuomo suggested immunizations might be made mandatory for nursing home staff, teachers, and healthcare personnel.

Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey has hinted that he may tighten the screws even more on businesses and residents.

However, Reuters said Republican Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis has taken the opposite view. Last Monday, he signed an executive order prohibiting schools from asking students to wear face masks, stating that parents should make this decision for their children.

Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services claimed that Florida has one of the worst outbreaks in the country, with approximately a quarter of the country's COVID patients hospitalized.