AP Photo/Susan Walsh
- Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said he is "worried about what is come" amid a rise in COVID-19 cases.
- "We are seeing increasing cases among the unvaccinated in particular," Murthy said on CNN's "State of the Union."
- His comments come as the Delta variant is hitting states with low vaccination rates.
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US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said that he is "worried about what is come" and the COVID-19 "pandemic is not over" amid a surge in cases, particularly among individuals who have yet to get the vaccine.
"I am worried about what is to come because we are seeing increasing cases among the unvaccinated in particular," Murthy said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, the Hill reported. "And while if you are vaccinated you are very well protected against hospitalization and death, unfortunately, that is not true if you are not vaccinated."
Murthy's comments come as the Delta variant has led to an uptick in COVID-19 cases across the US. As Insider's Aria Bendix previously reported, that cases have risen by 60% in the past two weeks, especially in states with low vaccination rates.
Last week, President Joe Biden said like social media platforms like Facebook are "killing people" as vaccine misinformation continues to spread.
During the interview, host Dana Bash asked Murthy if conservative media is also to blame for sharing inaccurate information about the vaccine.
"I think all of us, including the media.. individuals, and health professionals have the responsibility to share the truth about health.. as science informs us," Murthy responded. "Unless we are honest about the consequences of our communication with people, unless we are rigorous about ensuring that what we communicate is actually sourced from science and not from opinion on critical issues like the vaccine.. then we are going to ultimately put people at risk."
-State of the Union (@CNNSotu) July 18, 2021
"My worry is that all this misinformation that's floating around is having a real cost that can be measured in lives lost and that is just tragic," Murthy continued.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, he added: "This pandemic is not over."