WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated for the coronavirus on Monday with the unvaccinated responsible for a surge in cases that contributed to a drop in the stock market.
U.S. COVID-19 cases have been on the increase in recent weeks and officials say the rise is almost entirely among people who have not been vaccinated as the highly infectious Delta variant becomes the dominant COVID-19 strain in the country.
Nearly all deaths and hospitalizations nationwide have been among unvaccinated people, officials say.
In a speech about the U.S. economy, Biden said the recovery hinges on getting the pandemic under control. He said four states with low vaccination rates accounted for 40% of all cases last week.
“So please, please get vaccinated,” Biden said. “Get vaccinated now.”
(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
