The seven-day average for new daily coronavirus cases increased by 52.5% to 37,674 as the Delta variant continues to spread across the country. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said that 40% of all new cases came from just three states, Florida, Texas, and Missouri.

Zients added that Florida is responsible for 20% of new cases in the U.S.

He did have some good news, pointing out that the vaccination rates in states that are being hit hardest by the recent surge in cases are higher than the national average over the past two weeks. Those states include Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Nevada, and Missouri. Zients cautioned that it may take up to two weeks for numbers to show signs of improvement as more people become fully vaccinated.

"People in these states are feeling the impact of being unvaccinated and are responding with action," he said.

Currently, almost all cases of COVID-19 are being reported in unvaccinated people. While there are some instances of breakthrough cases in which vaccinated patients contract the virus, they tend to have mild or no symptoms.

"The threat is now predominantly only to the unvaccinated," Zients said.

As of Thursday (July 2), over 162 million people in the United States are fully vaccinated, which represents 48.8% of the total population. Over 187 million people received their first dose and will be fully vaccinated within two weeks of receiving the second shot.

Bob Alexander