Public health officials have identified summer camps in Texas, Illinois, Florida, Missouri and Kansas as the source of outbreaks of coronavirus in those regions, complicating efforts to reduce transmission of the virus in states that have relatively low vaccination rates, the Associated Press reports.

With the highly-contagious Delta variants now making up more than half of the new cases identified in the United States, the nation has seen the trendline for new cases jump about 60% in the past three weeks.

In Missouri, just 39.8% of people are fully vaccinated; in Texas, just 42.2% of people are.  None of the states listed has a higher than 50% rate of vaccinations.  Illinois leads those listed with 47.2% fully vaccinated. 

The Delta variant of the coronavirus has demonstrated to be more contagious.  It also impacts younger demographics than its previous strains, including leading to some long-term health consequences in younger people.

The ongoing campaign by the Biden Administration to get people vaccinated is being met with resistance in Republican-run states, as GOP national and state leaders–as well as subversive conservative media personalities–urge people to avoid the vaccines for the false attributes of “freedom” and “liberty.”

While these summer camps host children who are typically safe from the impact of the coronavirus, the kids can still spread it to camp counselors and older family members, leading to hospitalization and/or death.  Republicans have countered the campaign to get vaccinations claiming that the vaccine is (or may be) dangerous to children, although there is no evidence it is.