Surgeon General ‘Deeply Worried’ About Unvaccinated People as Delta Variant Spreads: ‘The Risk Is Higher and Higher Every Day’

Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said on Wednesday night he’s “deeply worried” about the risks to unvaccinated people from the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

CBS News’ Major Garrett asked Murthy about one infectious disease doctor who said unvaccinated people should anticipate “they will get covid this summer from the Delta variant.”

“I think the risk is higher and higher every day,” the Surgeon General responded, “that if you are unvaccinated, that you may become sick with covid-19, because this Delta variant is spreading rapidly.”

“So I am deeply worried about people who are not vaccinated, because they are at greater risk,” he said.

As of this posting, per CDC data, 47.6 percent of the entire United States is fully vaccinated. Slightly over two-thirds of all American adults are at least partially vaccinated.

Garrett asked Murthy if the federal government will encourage schools and businesses to mandate vaccines.

“This is not just something government’s going to solve or the private sector. We’ve all got to work together,” Murthy said, talking up the need for unvaccinated people to hear from family, friends, and medical professionals in their communities.

You can watch above, via CBS Evening News.