As COVID-19 vaccination rates dip, cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in several states, with the Delta variant spreading rapidly across the country.
Health experts like Dr. Hany Atallah, the Chief Medical Officer at Jackson Memorial Hospital, say that two major factors are misinformation and the large number of Americans who are still unvaccinated.
“The people who are being hospitalized are those who are unvaccinated and we think that’s come with a lot of the unmasking,” says Atallah.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says the best way to prevent these surges is to get vaccinated and wear a mask.
Those fighting against vaccine push-back are now combating misinformation as well. The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, stresses the importance of finding trusted sources.
“You have to recognize that sometimes the most trusted voices are not ones that have the most followers on social media or the ones that have the most name recognition,” says Dr. Vivek Murthy.
