A health care worker treats a patient with COVID in a Houston, Texas ICU. Texas is among states to be hit hard by the Delta variant.
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According to Chhatwal, this combination of lower vaccination and relaxed attitudes created ideal conditions for the Delta variant to spread in communities. “To get out of the wave sooner—or reduce the impact of the wave—we need higher vaccination rates and more social distancing, including indoor mask mandates in almost all states,” he said.