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Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House Chief Medical Adviser, said that Americans should “go the extra step” by wearing masks when traveling into areas of the country that have a low vaccination rate.
According to health officials, the states with the lowest vaccination rates in the country include:
- Alabama: 33.03 percent fully vaccinated;
- Mississippi: 33.19 percent;
- Arkansas: 34.6 percent;
- Wyoming: 35.37 percent;
- Idaho: 36.39 percent;
- Georgia: 37.04 percent;
- West Virginia: 37.5 percent;
- Tennessee: 37.7 percent;
- Utah: 37.75 percent;
- Oklahoma: 38.8 percent.
Fauci said that when traveling to states with a low vaccination rate, Americans should err on the side of caution and wear a mask, even when the vaccination process is complete.
He also noted that there are growing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, specifically citing the Delta variant that has been rapidly spreading throughout the country.
“You might want to go the extra step and say that when I’m in that area, where there’s a considerable degree of viral circulation, I might want to go the extra mile to ensure that I get the extra added layer of protection,” Fauci said. “Even though the vaccines themselves are highly effective.”
The World Health Organization has also encouraged fully vaccinated people to start wearing masks again amid the pandemic out of fears of the delta variant, which continues to surge in countries across the world.
“The delta variant has the capability of spreading much more efficiently from person to person. It also can cause more severe diseases. So there are two things about it that are troublesome,” Fauci added. “The good news about this is that the vaccines that are used in this country do very well against the delta variant.”
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