Unvaccinated Covid patients are filling up hospitals and putting others at risk, doctors say. They’re also the reason for tougher mask guidance.

In Mississippi, Covid-19 hospitalizations have increased significantly — including among younger patients, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said. All 88 beds in the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s intensive care unit had filled up by Friday, according to data from the state’s health department.

And in Louisiana, “We’re becoming victims of the unvaccinated,” said Dr. Christopher Thomas, critical care physician at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.

“We currently are overwhelming our bed capacity. We’re creating burnout for our teams. And honestly, we’re beginning to impact the rest of the health care for the community.”

At the Louisiana hospital, 97% of Covid-19 patients in the ICU were unvaccinated, Thomas said. As of Friday, the average age of Covid-19 patients in the ICU was 48.

“That means there are children — with parents — who are now in the hospital,” he said.

Unvaccinated people are causing tougher mask guidance

Many of those who don’t want to wear masks or get vaccinated are prolonging the pandemic, doctors say.

“We know that the vast majority of the spread is still by unvaccinated people. And I think that that is the part that’s been lost in the messaging from the CDC,” said Dr. Leana Wen, visiting professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.

“The problem is not with the vaccinated. The problem remains with the unvaccinated. And the way that we can get out of this pandemic is to increase vaccination rates,” she said.

“So the CDC should actually be saying, ‘Look, the reason we’re doing indoor mandates is because the unvaccinated cannot be trusted to put on masks. That’s why the vaccinated also have to be putting on masks.'”

Confusion about the new mask guidance, explained

To be clear: “It’s mostly about protecting the unvaccinated. That’s where the real serious risks of illness are,” said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

Those who are vaccinated are less likely to get infected, Collins said. When breakthrough infections do happen in vaccinated people, they usually lead to mild or no symptoms at all.

But vaccinated people who get breakthrough infections might be able to spread Covid-19 as easily as unvaccinated people, according to the CDC.

“High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday.

That finding “was a pivotal discovery leading to CDC’s updated mask recommendation,” Walensky said.

But Collins said it’s critical to emphasize how much more danger unvaccinated people are in, compared to vaccinated people. He said those who are not vaccinated:

— Are three times more likely to get infected.

— Are eight times more likely to get symptoms when infected.

— Are 25 times more likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19.

“If anybody’s listening who’s been on the fence, it’s a tipping point now,” Collins said. “Let’s try to get everybody out there and start to be a part of the winning team.”

In some places, vaccinations are picking up

As more Americans become educated about the Delta variant, vaccinations are increasing.

Nationwide, the rate of vaccinations this past week is up more than 25% compared to three weeks ago.

In Alabama and Arkansas, which both have about 35% of residents fully vaccinated, the rates of new doses given have doubled compared to three weeks ago.

Ohio has had “a significant increase” in vaccination rates, particularly in rural areas, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday.

“I think … the fear of the Delta variant is certainly one of the causes,” DeWine said.

He said the state is now focusing on outreach efforts to the “under-vaccinated” Medicaid population through incentives like $100 cash awards for getting the vaccinated.

“We think well over 100,000 extra people were vaccinated, at a minimum, because of that,” DeWine said. “It was very, very successful.”

But “the game is still with getting people vaccinated,” he said. “We have room to grow.”