The United States now has more than 100,000 people hospitalized with the coronavirus across the country for the first time since January, according to a new report.

On Thursday, The Washington Post noted that hospitalization rates are highest in the South, including Florida, where 17,000 people are hospitalized, and Texas, where another 14,000 are receiving care. 

Citing its own coronavirus database, the Post reported 2,100 children have been hospitalized nationally this month, topping 2,000 for the first time since August 2020.

The newspaper added that about 148,000 new cases are being reported nationwide each day, a figure also not seen since January.

The major difference between January and today is the availability of coronavirus vaccines. Earlier this month, the Post reported nearly 190 million people have received at least one shot and another 163 million are fully vaccinated against the virus. 

The country’s vaccination efforts got a boost this week when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Pfizer’s vaccine, one of the first on the market, full approval in a move President Biden celebrated and federal health officials have said they hope reduced vaccine hesitancy nationwide. 

“After a strict process the FDA has reaffirmed its findings that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective and the FDA has given its full and final approval,” Biden said this week. “So let me say this loudly and clearly: If you’re one of the millions of Americans who said that they will not get the shot until it has full and final approval of the FDA, it has now happened.”

The delta variant is now accounting for the vast majority of cases in the United States, public health experts have said, with serious illness and death mainly occurring among unvaccinated Americans. 

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