02/07/2022

COVID-19 & Ohio:

Counties with highest COVID-19 infection rates

The vaccine deployment in December 2020 signaled a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of May 2021, 40 percent of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. But as vaccination rates lagged over the summer, new surges of COVID-19 came, including Delta in the summer of 2021, and now the Omicron variant, which comprises the majority of cases in the U.S.

Researchers around the world have reported that Omicron is more transmissiblethan Delta, making breakthrough and repeat infections more likely. Early research suggests this strain may cause less severe illness than Delta and the original virus, however, health officials have warned an Omicron-driven surge could still increase hospitalization and death rates—especially in areas with less vaccinated populations.

The United States as of Feb. 1 reached 889,474 COVID-19-related deaths and 75.1 million COVID-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Currently, only 63.8 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, and 41.7 percent have received booster doses.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Stacker.