WASHINGTON, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Governor of southern U.S. state of Alabama Kay Ivey said the recent uptick in cases in the state can be blamed on those who refuse to get the vaccines, the news portal Patch reported.
"The few cases of COVID are because of unvaccinated folks," Ivey was quoted as saying in the report on Friday.
"Almost 100 percent of the new hospitalizations are unvaccinated folks. And the deaths certainly are occurring with unvaccinated folks. These folks are choosing a horrible lifestyle of self-inflicted pain," said the governor.
According to the report, as of Thursday, the state reported a 7-day average of 1,143 new cases of COVID-19, a significant increase from the 7-day average just a month ago, which was reported at just 191 new cases.
The Alabama Department of Public Health said Wednesday that 94 percent of COVID-19 hospital patients and 96 percent of Alabamians who have died of COVID-19 since April were not vaccinated. Enditem
