Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, shared that with the Delta variant on the rise in the country, there could soon be “two Americas” -- One where most people are vaccinated and another where low vaccination rates could lead to COVID-19 spikes.
On Tuesday night, he shared that he is “very concerned” with the disparity between low and high vaccination areas with CNN’s Don Lemon.
"When you have such a low level of vaccination superimposed upon a variant that has a high degree of efficiency of spread, what you are going to see among under-vaccinated regions, be that states, cities or counties, you're going to see these individual types of blips," Fauci said. "It's almost like it's going to be two Americas."
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Fauci believes that the areas of the country with the lowest vaccination rates are running the risk of having severe COVID-19 case spikes.
"This is entirely avoidable, entirely preventable. If you are vaccinated, you diminish dramatically your risk of getting infected and even more dramatically your risk of getting seriously ill. If you are not vaccinated, you are at considerable risk," Fauci said.
Currently, the states with the lowest vaccination rates, under 35% of the population, are Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Wyoming, and Louisiana.
In Mississippi, more than 90% of all new cases and deaths related to the virus have been people who are not yet vaccinated, according to Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state health officer for the Mississippi Department of Public Health.
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With the current rise in the Delta variant, which spreads quicker and has in some cases been more aggressive, experts are worried that areas with low vaccination rates will be more vulnerable to the version of the virus.
Fauci shared with Lemon that every state in the U.S. now accounts for 26.1% of COVID-19 cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fauci also said that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, two weeks after the second dose, is 88% effective against symptomatic infections due to the variant. Those who have only received one of their shots have less protection.
There have yet to be any proven studies from Moderna of Johnson & Johnson, according to CNN. But both companies say that their vaccines will protect against all variants.
On Tuesday, the U.S. inched closer to the 50% mark as 46.4% of the population is now fully vaccinated. In addition, 16 states have also reached the president’s goal of having 70% of adults with at least one dose by July 4.
With the rise in vaccinations, the reported new cases have continued to go down. Something Fauci and others feel may stall with the spread of the Delta variant.
While speaking with Lemon, Fauci also shared that he does not think the CDC will change its mask guidance for the fully vaccinated.
"For now, the CDC recommendations stand that if in fact you are vaccinated — fully vaccinated — you are protected, and you do not need to wear a mask outdoors or indoors," he said.
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This comes following Los Angeles county’s decision to reinforce its mask guidance no matter someone’s vaccination status.
As for now, the CDC has not said whether or not they will change their guidance.