The fight against the coronavirus continues.
The Biden administration is giving $100 million to rural health clinics to help educate their communities about the COVID-19 vaccine and get more shots in arms.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says the delta variant is more aggressive than any of the other COVID strains and is one of the most infectious respiratory viruses she’s seen in her 20-year career.
"We are yet at another pivotal moment in this pandemic with cases rising again, and some hospitals reaching their capacity," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky. "In some areas we need to come together as one nation unified in our resolve to protect the health of ourselves, our children, our community, our country, and our future."
Health officials say three states — Florida, Texas and Missouri accounted for 40% of all new cases over the past week.
On Wednesday, Florida saw its highest number of new cases since late January.
There is some positive news though. Officials are seeing vaccination rates increasing in the five states with the highest new case rates.
The administration also announced it's allocating $1.6 billion to strengthen testing and mitigation efforts in places where a lot of people are in close contact, like prisons and homeless shelters.
