Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee have all set new COVID-19 infection records – soaring past the previous highs recorded during winter 2020.
The grim figures indicate just how contagious the COVID Delta variant is, with the records also broken despite vaccines now being widely available.
Despite Covid shots offering substantial protection against serious illness in the case of an infection, hospitalizations are also up to.
More than 100,000 are now being recorded daily, as the United States weathers its latest Covid surge, amid fears that schools reopening could exacerbate the issue further.
Georgia is recording a record 10,840 new cases every day. Schools in the state have been slammed especially hard
Tennessee is averaging a record 9,912 new cases per day. The Volunteer state’s Department of Health was recently exposed for undercounting total hospitalizations by over 5,000
Georgia is averaging 10,840 new cases per day, a 32 percent increase in daily cases over the past two weeks. The Peach State does not report cases daily.
Schools in the state have been hit especially hard by the virus, with thousands of students and staff having to quarantine in the opening weeks.
More than 23,000 people had to enter quarantine in Atlanta area schools after either testing positive for the virus or being exposed to it, with vaccines currently only available to students aged 12 and up.
Lamar County, around 50 miles south of Atlanta, suspended school for two weeks after so many staff members were quarantined that the schools could no longer function.
Democrats in the state have called to close down schools until the situation gets under control.
The state currently has 5,880 people currently hospitalized with the virus, which is also a record.
Only 52 percent of Georgia residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, well behind the 62 percent national average.
The state has recorded 1.38 million cases and 22,000 deaths since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Tennessee is averaging 9,912 new cases per day, eclipsing a previous record set in December.
Cases have grown by nearly 80 percent over the past two weeks, though Tennessee also does not report cases daily.
The state has also been embroiled in controversy after recent reports the state’s Department of Health underreported COVID-19 hospitalizations by over 5,000 over the last 14 months.
According to a report by The Tennessean, many of the unreported hospitalizations were from over the record winter surge where dozens of ICU patients when unrecorded every day.
Corrected figures show that the Volunteer State has recorded 29,694 hospitalizations from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Half of Tennessee residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine so far, which is also well below the national average.
In July, the state’s top vaccine official, Dr Michelle Fiscus, stepped down under pressure from state leadership after accusations the Department of Health was attempting to undermine parents by offering the vaccine to minors.
State Republicans also attempted to abolish the Department of Health itself due to the accusations.
Tennessee suspended all vaccine outreach for minors in mid-July, a move Democrats say may hinder efforts to reach herd immunity against COVID-19.
Just over one million cases and 13,400 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in Tennessee since the virus reached the state last March.
South Carolina is currently the state with the biggest COVID-19 outbreak, with one out of every 1,000 residents being infected with the virus. The state is also averaging a record 6,592 new cases every day
Kentucky is averaging a record 4,840 new cases per day. The state’s poison control is reporting a surge in calls regarding misuse of the anti-parasite drug ivermectin
South Carolina is currently suffering the biggest outbreak of the virus of any state in the country.
One out of every 1,000 South Carolinians recorded a new COVID-19 case on August 31, the highest rate per capita in America.
New daily cases have increased by 53 percent over the past two weeks in South Carolina.
The Palmetto State, which also does not report cases daily, averaged a record 6,592 cases per day on September 1.
The state also reported 86 Covid deaths on Wednesday, the highest single day total since February.
Fifty-two percent of residents of the state have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, also behind the national pace.
South Carolina has recorded 741,000 cases and 10,000 deaths over the past 17 months.
Kentucky is recording a record 4,840 new COVID-19 cases every day, another record as the state loses control of its virus situation just as winter approaches, amid fears colder weather could cause a further spiral.
Some Kentuckians are attempting to combat the virus using their own remedies, particularly using ivermectin, a deworming drug that has been mischaracterized as a potential COVID-19 treatment.
The state’s poison control reports a swell in calls regarding ivermectin, as some are using dosages of the drug meant for animals like horses and cows to treat themselves at home.
Doses for animals are much larger than ones meant for humans. The drug is safe for human consumption if the correct dosage is taken, although experts warn there’s no proof it helps with Covid.
Kentucky has a higher vaccination rate than the others at 57 percent.
Schools in the Bluegrass State have been slammed as well, with Berea Independent School District in central Kentucky even closing.
In Kentucky, 741,000 COVID-19 cases and 10,600 deaths have been recorded during the Covid pandemic.
Nationwide, 62 percent of Americans have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine and 52 percent are fully vaccinated.
The country is also averaging 166,000 new cases every day, and 18 percent increase over the past two weeks.
While cases are growing, they are growing at a smaller rate than before, which could be a signal that the Delta variant-fueled surge is coming to a close.
Hospitalizations still remain high as well though, with 101,000 people hospitalized with the virus every day and 78 percent of ICU beds in the entire country being occupied right now.
Since March 2020, the United States has recorded 39.5 million cases and 642,000 deaths from the virus.
The country leads the world in both categories.
