COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations in the US are at a six-month high, fuelled by the rapid spread of the Delta variant across swathes of the country grappling with low vaccination rates.

Nationwide, COVID-19 cases have averaged 100,000 for three days in a row, up 35% over the past week, according to a Reuters tally of public health data. Louisiana, Florida and Arkansas reported the most new cases in the past week, based on population.

Hospitalisations rose 40% and deaths, a lagging indicator, registered an 18% uptick in the past week.

The intensifying spread of the pandemic has led to cancellation of some large high-profile events. One notable exception is an annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota which has been proceeding as planned.

Florida set a new single-day record with 28,317 cases on Sunday, according to data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Hospitalisations in Florida have been at record highs for eight days in a row, according to the Reuters analysis. Most Florida students are due back in the classroom this week as some school districts debate whether to require masks for pupils.

Holding signs, mask proponents and opponents gathered at the Pinellas County Schools building near St Petersburg on Monday where the school board called a special session to discuss mask protocols.

The head of the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union on Sunday announced a shift in course by backing mandated vaccinations for US teachers in an effort to protect students who are too young to be inoculated.

The number of children hospitalised with COVID-19 is rising across the country, a trend health experts attribute to the Delta variant being more likely to infect children than the original Alpha strain.

With the virus once again upending Americans’ lives after a brief summer lull, the push to vaccinate those still reluctant has gained fresh momentum.

In the latest development, the Pentagon on Monday said that it will seek President Joe Biden’s approval by the middle of September to require military members to get vaccinated. – Aug 10, 2021

Delta variant on the prowl; US cases, hospitalisations rose to six-month high