Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The delta Covid variant has spread so rapidly across the U.S. that most counties in the country now meet the CDC’s guidelines recommending people wear masks indoors — whether they are vaccinated or not.
“Over 90% of counties in the United States are experiencing substantial or high transmission, as we have been saying, by far, those at highest risk remain people who have not yet been vaccinated,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters at a briefing Thursday.
The CDC updated its mask guidance on July 27 to recommend masks indoors in area of the U.S. where community transmission was considered high or substantial. Most counties that were experiencing high transmission rates were in Southern states, but in two weeks the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant expanded to most counties across the country.
Unvaccinated Americans make up the overwhelming majority of hospitalizations and deaths across the country, she said.
