CDC director says COVID-19 is 'becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated'

• CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Friday that 97% of COVID-19 hospitalizations are in unvaccinated people.
• She warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is "becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated."
• She said outbreaks of the virus are happening in "parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage."

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that as COVID-19 cases rise across the United States, the disease is becoming a "pandemic of the unvaccinated."

"There is a message that is crystal clear: this is becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a press briefing on Friday. "We are seeing outbreaks of cases in parts of the country that have low vaccination coverage because unvaccinated people are at risk."

She added that 97% of hospitalized COVID-19 cases are in people who are not vaccinated against the virus.

Since last week, Walensky said, cases are up about 70%, hospitalizations are up 36%, and deaths rose by 26%.

"If you are not vaccinated, you remain at risk," Walensky said.

According to CDC data, 160.4 million people across the US are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 - that's 48.3% percent of the total population.

Of people aged 12 and older who are eligible to get the vaccine, 56.5% of people are fully vaccinated.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.