The Associated Press reported that only 26 of the over 11,000 COVID-19-related deaths in Alabama were caused by people who had been vaccinated.Alabama has the lowest vaccination rate in the US with only 34% of its population fully vaccinated.Hospitalizations have also increased since January, before vaccines were widely accessible.Insider Healthcare: Get the latest news and analysis in healthcare Loading Click to sign up for marketing emails from Insider and other partners. You also agree to our Terms of Service & Privacy PolicyAccording to Scott Harris, Alabama State Health Officer Scott Harris, only 26 of the 11,600 victims of COVID-19 in Alabama have been vaccinated.Harris stated that Harris did not believe the majority of the nearly 2,000 state-hospitalized patients with the disease are unvaccinated.The Alabama Department of Public Health reports that 33% of Alabama's population has been fully vaccinated against the disease. According to the Associated Press, Alabama has the lowest vaccine rate of any US state.According to data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately half of all Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.Harris stated that Harris believes it is correct to state that these numbers wouldn't be possible if more people were vaccinated. According to the AP. "Again, these case numbers are being driven, unfortunately, by people who aren't vaccinated.Experts and data agree that vaccines are effective in preventing serious illness and death. However, there have been cases of breakthrough infections where people who were vaccinated contract COVID-19.According to Alabama state data, there are 1,923 COVID-19 victims in the Alabama hospital. This is the most hospitalizations in Alabama since January, when vaccines weren't widely available. Harris stated that 93% of Alabama's ICU beds were occupied according to the AP.State data shows that the number of cases in the state rose by more than 33% this week compared to the previous week. The spread of the more transmissible Delta strain of the disease has led to an increase in cases nationwide and a surge in some parts of the country.Anthony Fauci is an adviser to President Joe Biden and long-time director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He said this week that COVID-19 cases could rise to 200,000 per day.He said that the increase in transmissibility and the fact that there are about 93 million eligible people in the country who can get vaccinated but don't, is what we are seeing. This means that you have a large pool of vulnerable people.
