COVID pandemic in the US

US federal authorities are sending medical teams to various parts of the country where new outbreaks of COVID-19 have recently been observed. This was reported by Bloomberg news agency on Thursday, citing administration officials who held a special briefing on the issue.

The "rapid response" teams will focus on combating the spread of the dangerous strain of coronavirus, dubbed Delta, they stressed.

About 66% of US adults have already been vaccinated, but in thousands of counties across the country, less than 30% of the population has been vaccinated, said Rochelle Walensky, head of the US federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "As the Delta strain spreads across the country, we expect the spread (of the virus) to increase unless more people can be vaccinated", Walensky said.

The White House pandemic coordinator also told reporters that experts would have to ensure that special equipment for tests and drugs to treat people infected with the Delta strain are delivered as soon as possible. Federal agencies are being deployed to assist local authorities to deal with the pandemic.

More than 33.5 million cases of the coronavirus have been identified in the USA since the start of the epidemic and more than 602 000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University, which produces estimates based on information from federal and local authorities. The country ranks first in the world for both indicators.