Efforts to get more Americans vaccinated against Covid-19 are growing more urgent as an expert warns that if vaccination rates don't increase, the dangerous Delta variant could continue to evolve.

"The next variant is just around the corner, if we do not all get vaccinated," Adm. Brett Giroir, the former coronavirus testing czar under Pres. Trump, told CNN's Chris Cuomo.

"I just beg the American people to understand that to defeat this virus, we have to get everybody's level of immunity up, and that's just the way it is," he added.
Currently, only about 49.8% of the population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And with so many still lacking adequate protection, cases are on the rise.
In the coming weeks, surges will likely reach all across the US, not just areas with low vaccination rates, former CDC Director Dr Tom Frieden said Wednesday. The outbreaks, however, will not be as explosive in areas with higher vaccination coverage, Frieden added.

As cases increase, hospitalizations and deaths will likely rise as well, according to ensemble forecasts published Wednesday by the CDC. The forecast predicts a total of 624,000 to 642,000 deaths will be reported by August 28. As of Wednesday, there have been 614,342 Covid-19 deaths in the US, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
If you're not protected against Covid-19, the virus will likely infect you, Michael Osterholm, director for the Center for 
"This virus is highly infectious. If you decide to try to run the game clock out, don't try to do it. This virus will find you, it will infect you eventually," Osterholm, said.