Here’s where we stand nationally in our fight against the COVID-19 virus.

As things open up and it seems that Covid concerns are fading across Greenville and the Upstate of South Carolina, it may serve us well to look at the broader picture of what’s happening with Covid-19 across the nation. With only 43.4% of our residents completely vaccinated and the Delta variant on the rise, it’s clear that South Carolina is still vulnerable and that now is not the time to relax our approach toward the Covid-19 virus.

Here’s some statistics from around the country that show a disturbing uptick in Covid-19 infections:

• The number of new Covid cases per day has doubled over the past three weeks form an average of 11,300 to 23,600
• The five states with the biggest two-week jump in cases per capita all had lower vaccination rates: Missouri, 45.9%; Arkansas, 43%; Nevada, 50.9%; Louisiana, 39.2%; and Utah, 49.5%.
• American Covid related deaths are averaging 260 per day
• Breakthrough infections of vaccinated individuals accounts for about 1% of all COVID-19 infections since the start of 2021
• Chicago officials announced Tuesday that unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas must either quarantine for 10 days or have a negative COVID-19 test
• With a 37.3 vaccination rate, Mississippi saw a 150% rise in Covid related hospitalizations over the past three weeks
• 55.6% of all Americans have received at least one COVID-19 shot
• Two states are particularly problematic. In Missouri, the seven-day average of new cases is near 1,400 new positive cases each day, up more than 150% from a month ago. In Arkansas, that number is up 287%.
• Over 99% of the COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are seen among unvaccinated individuals

Clearly we appear to be going in the wrong direction, especially as vaccination efforts are stalling across the country. It also seems clear that we have the tools to defeat COVID-19, it’s simply up to us to use them.