The delta variant of the coronavirus — a more contagious strain fueling recent outbreaks worldwide — has now been found in all 50 states and the District, according to a CNN tally.
South Dakota reported its first case of the variant Tuesday, completing the variant’s saturation throughout the country, CNN reported.
The delta variant, first detected in India late last year, is now widely regarded as the most transmissible coronavirus strain. It has particularly ravaged the United Kingdom, accounting for 99% of the country’s new cases.
In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 26.1% of all cases are now caused by the delta variant.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the spread of the variant is especially troubling when coupled with areas that have low vaccination rates.
“When you have such a low level of vaccination superimposed upon a variant that has a high degree of efficiency of spread, what you are going to see among undervaccinated regions — be they states, cities or counties — you’re going to see these individual types of blips,” Fauci told CNN’s Don Lemon. “It’s almost like it’s going to be two Americas.”
As of Thursday, roughly 47% of the total U.S. population is fully vaccinated, according to CDC data. The states with the lowest vaccination rates — Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Wyoming and Louisiana — have vaccinated less than 35% of their respective populations.
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