According to CNN’s analysis of the U.S. public health agency CDC’s COVID-19 data published on Monday, about 98.2 percent of the total US population (around 325M US residents) live in areas considered to have substantial or high COVID-19 transmission.

Unfortunately, that’s up from nineteen percent of Americans only a month before. Moreover, around 250M people live in “high” transmission areas alone. This sharp increase has been driven in major part by the highly infectious Delta variant and low immunization rates in many regions.

We’re seeing a dramatic shift in the battle against Covid-19. Many hospitals are overwhelmed and more than 98% of US residents now live in an area where there is a “high” or “substantial” risk of Covid-19 community transmission. Here’s the latest. pic.twitter.com/VD3zfxL2gr

— Jacqueline Howard (@JacqEHoward) August 12, 2021

That means the new CDC instructions, which advices even fully inoculated to mask-up indoors in areas with “high or substantial” COVID-19 transmission, would apply to all but 6M US people. Moreover, fewer than 600000 people (0.2 percent of the US population) live in “low” transmission areas. Another 1.6 percent are in “moderate” transmission areas.

How Many Counties In USA Are Listed In High COVID-19 Transmission?

The national public health agency measures community COVID transmission using two metrics. First, the number of infections per 0.1M people, and second, the coronavirus test positivity rate, both measured over the recent week.

Furthermore, the latest CDC figures present an alarming increase in the number of counties being at high risk of community COVID-19 transmission. On August 9, 2361 counties in America were listed in “high transmission,” a sharp rise from 457 counties in the same tier in early July. Considering the recent five weeks show just how quickly community COVID transmission has surged across the United States.

The part of the country with a low coronavirus disease transmission rate has “ten or less” number of infections per 0.1M and a test positivity below five percent, while the part with a high transmission rate has “hundred or more” infections per 0.1M and a COVID-test positivity of 10 percent or higher.

The surge in community COVID transmission has led to renewed face mask guidelines and a crucial push for immunizations across the U.S., particularly in parts where inoculation rates are low. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now suggests that people use face masks indoors if they’re in regions with high or substantial levels of COVID-19 spread, regardless of their vaccination status.