NIH Director Implores More Americans to Get Vaccine as Delta Variant Spreads: ‘Roll Up Your Sleeve, It’s Time’

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, implored more Americans to get vaccinated on Sunday morning, especially with the risks unvaccinated people face from the Delta variant.

As of this posting, 65.4 percent of American adult have at least one dose of the vaccine, and 52.8 percent are fully vaccinated. President Joe Biden set a goal of 70 percent of the country getting at least one dose by July 4th, but at this point it’s increasingly likely the numbers will fall just short of that by Independence Day.

One area of particular concern among public health experts is the Delta variant of the coronavirus that was first detected in India several months ago. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a recent interview that this variant is more transmissible and might end up being the dominant strain in the United States.

Collins talked with MSNBC’s Ali Velshi Sunday about the “terrible consequences” of this particular variant spreading in India, and warned just how far it’s spread around the world, including in the United States.

He explained that it’s “about 60 percent more transmissible” than the Alpha variant, and said one study found it’s twice as likely to lead to hospitalization.

Collins made it clear that the vaccines “give very good protection” against the Delta variant, and said that’s another important reason for more people to get vaccinated, even people who only got the first dose and haven’t gotten their second yet:

Listen, America, we have a chance here not to have another big surge, and Delta’s the threat for that. There are communities now that don’t have high enough vaccination rates to avoid an outbreak. If we can really push hard in the next week or so to try to get those rates up as high as they can — and there’s no reason you can’t find a place near you that’s ready to help you out. Roll up your sleeve. It’s time.

You can watch above, via MSNBC.