CDC Director Says 99.5% Covid Deaths Due To Unvaccinated: ‘Preventable With A Simple, Safe Shot’

On Thursday, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle Walensky appeared to blame unvaccinated Americans for the spread of the “Delta variant” of COVID-19.

The CDC head said getting past the pandemic relies on everyone doing their “part” and getting vaccinated, even if they are hesitant to do so.

RELATED: Health Department Using Door-To-Door Vaccinators In Milwaukee

Walensky Wants More Vaccinations

Walensky made her remarks during a virtual White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing, touching on the numbers. 

“These numbers and what we are seeing across the country reveal two truths about the current state of the pandemic,” Walensky said.

She sang the praises of the the “successes of our vaccination program over the last 8 months” and noting numbers are “far lower” than where they were in January.

“And yet on the other hand, we’re starting to see some new and concerning trends. Simply put, in areas of low vaccination coverage, cases and hospitalizations are up,” she said.

Why? The CDC head said one problem was communities where “proper hard-learned prevention strategies are not enforced and the virus is readily able to thrive.”

She expressed concern that the Delta variant was spreading “rapidly” and noted that many experts now believe it has become the most prevalent strain. 

Walensky addressed areas with low vaccination rates, which she sees as a significant problem.

“Low vaccination rates in these counties coupled with high case rates and lax mitigation policies that do not protect those who are unvaccinated from the disease will certainly and sadly lead to more unnecessary suffering, hospitalizations, and potentially death,” Walensky warned.

The CDC director then cited preliminary data from several states showing that 99.5 percent of deaths from the virus were in unvaccinated people.

RELATED: U.S. Capitol Police To Open Field Offices In Florida And California To ‘Monitor Threats’

Walensky: Recent COVID Deaths ‘Preventable With A Simple, Safe Shot’

“Those deaths were preventable with a simple, safe shot,” she insisted.

Walensky then urged more vaccinations, emphasizing doing so as the Biden administration’s “leading public health strategy.” 

“Turning the corner on this pandemic, getting back to normal, and stopping the delta variant requires all of us to do our part and to get vaccinated,” Walensky finished.