Florida and Texas accounted for one in three COVID-19 cases reported nationwide last week, Jeff Zients, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, said Aug. 2.
Most cases — driven by the highly transmissible delta variant — are in communities with lower vaccination rates, Mr. Zients said. Forty-nine percent of Florida's population was fully vaccinated as of Aug. 3, along with 44 percent of Texas residents, according to CDC data.
"The seven states with the lowest vaccination rates represent just about 8.5 percent of the U.S. population but account for more than 17 percent of cases," Mr. Zients said during a news briefing.
The briefing came the same day the U.S. hit its goal of vaccinating 70 percent of U.S. adults with at least one dose. President Joe Biden originally aimed to achieve this goal by July 4.
In the seven-day period ending Aug. 2, 3 million Americans got their first shot, marking the highest seven-day total since July 4, Mr. Zients said.