US hospitals overwhelmed as cases of Delta variant caused covid reported

Covid patients and their families are taking over hospitals across the US, seeking doctors and nurses as the Delta variant spreads coast-to-coast.

As the nation witnessed a fresh outbreak of coronavirus infections, the United States recorded its highest weekly rate of new cases. Bloomberg reports that new cases in the US topped 761,216 in the week ended Sunday, the highest number since early February.

Efforts to mitigate the disease are falling short, the number of unvaccinated patients in intensive care is similar to the winter wave.

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In the US, Delta began its march in Ozarks and the south, in regions and states with low vaccination rates. However, the surge shows that even the best-vaccinated areas do not have sufficient immunity to prevent the easy-to-spread variant.

Delta wave experts say there won't be the same death toll as last year as vaccinated individuals are much less likely to die than those who are unvaccinated.

Vaccinated areas have generally seen a relatively slow increase in hospitalisations. However, the waves for these infections are just beginning, and sometimes it can take weeks to send people to the ICU.

As a result, there's little doubt the pandemic isn't over with America, and even less so in places where people have refused vaccinations or ignored mask mandates and other safety measures.

According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, hospital utilisation nationwide is expected to rise in the coming weeks, and there are already too few people to take care of patients.

Although vaccination rates have risen as a result of concerns about the Delta variant, millions of people remain sceptical about the vaccine, especially in conservative-leaning areas.

According to Ajay Sethi, an associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin, halting transmission would require 90 per cent vaccination, which is impossible since children under 12 are not eligible for shots.

(With inputs from agencies)