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As U.S. states lift more coronavirus restrictions, experts are worried people who aren't fully vaccinated could contribute to further spread of the virus.
The Delta variant, first reported in India, currently accounts for nearly 10 per cent of coronavirus cases in the U.S., according to the CDC.
With concerns it could become the dominant strain soon, medical experts are underscoring the importance of full vaccination.
"I'm worried about those who are unvaccinated," U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told CNN Tuesday, noting the Delta variant "is rapidly increasing here in the United States."
The CDC has determined the Delta variant is a "variant of concern," a designation given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease.
The Delta variant "appears to be significantly more transmissible than even the Alpha variant or the U.K. variant, which is now dominant in the United States," Murthy told CNN.
"The second reason it's concerning is that there is some data to indicate that it may in fact also be more dangerous, may cause more severe illness. That still needs to be understood more clearly, but these are two important concerns and they explain in part ... why this is become the dominant variant in the U.K., where over 90 per cent of cases are the Delta variant," Murthy said.
The good news is that vaccines appear to be effective against the Delta variant.
A new study by Public Health England found that two doses of a coronavirus vaccine is "highly effective against hospitalization" caused by the Delta variant. The study found the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 96 per cent effective against hospitalization after two doses.
Murthy said there isn't enough data to indicate the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine in regards to the Delta variant, but the vaccine has shown it can help prevent hospitalizations and deaths when people are infected with other strains.
"The key is get vaccinated, get both doses," Murthy said.
As of Tuesday, 43.9 per cent of the total U.S. population was fully vaccinated while 52.6 per cent has received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the CDC.
This comes on the heels of the U.S. surpassing 600,000 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. That means about one in every 550 people in the U.S. has died from the virus.
So far, 14 states have reached Biden's goal of vaccinating 70 per cent of adults with at least one dose by July 4, according to CDC data published Tuesday.
New York is one of the states that reached that milestone, pushing Gov. Andrew Cuomo to lift all state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions.
Restrictions were lifted across all commercial and social settings, including the requirements on social gatherings, capacity restrictions, social distancing, health screenings, cleaning and disinfection protocols, and contact tracing. Mask requirements will continue in pre-K settings, on public transit and in health care settings, Cuomo said.
Fireworks displays were put on at various locations across the state Tuesday night to celebrate essential workers and the lifting of restrictions.
"This is a momentous day, and we deserve it because it has been a long, long road," Cuomo said. "We can now return to life as we know it."
California also lifted most of its COVID-19 restrictions Tuesday, ending capacity limits, physical distancing and mask requirements for the vaccinated.
Businesses in the state are already adjusting.
The Abbey Food & Bar in West Hollywood brought back dancing, DJs and sitting at the bar for a party to celebrate the end of restrictions. Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers held a "Reopening Day" promo, with 25,000 Justin Turner bobbleheads, to welcome back a full capacity home crowd.
Meanwhile in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan said his state will lift all COVID-19 restrictions and the state of emergency on July 1, including mask requirements. Businesses may still enforce their own requirements, Hogan said.
Maryland has vaccinated 72.3 per cent of its adult population with at least one dose so far, CDC data shows.
Delaware is getting there, with 68.3 per cent of adults having received at least one dose, Gov. John Carney said. He added that his state expects to its COVID-19 state of emergency order on July 13.
"Get vaccinated. Ask your friends and family if they've received their shot. These vaccines are extremely safe and effective," Carney said.
Pediatricians are stepping up to not only vaccinate newly eligible children and teens against COVID-19, but adults as well.
One month after Sandhills Pediatrics in Southern Pines, North Carolina, started offering the COVID-19 vaccine, the practice administered 940 doses of the Pfizer vaccine -- 268 went not to patients, but adults over the age of 23.
Dr. Christoph Diasio, a pediatrician at the office, said he offers the vaccine to most patients and their family members.
"I've seen every reaction from arms crossed, basically jumping away from me; 'There's no way I'll get that,' to 'I've been meaning to -- I just haven't been able to get it scheduled yet with work,'" Diasio told CNN.
His office has been offering other routine vaccinations, like the flu shot, to family members of patients for years. He says the practice is fairly common among pediatricians nationwide and can provide some protection for babies who are too young to receive the vaccine themselves.
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.