91 Percent of U.S. Counties Are in 'Substantial or High' COVID Transmission Zones: CDC

Over 90 percent of counties across the U.S. are experiencing "substantial or high transmission" of COVID-19, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

Walensky announced the data during a White House COVID-19 task force press briefing on Thursday.

"We continue to see cases, hospital, hospitalizations and deaths, increased across the country. And now, over 90 percent of counties in the United States are experiencing substantial or high transmission, as we have been saying, by far, those at highest risk remain people who have not yet been vaccinated," Walensky said during the briefing.

Data from the CDC shows that at least 76.68 percent of counties are experiencing "high" transmission of the coronavirus while 14.38 percent are experiencing "substantial" transmission. According to the data, less than 10 percent of all counties across the U.S. are experiencing "moderate" or "low" transmission of COVID-19.

Louisiana currently has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases as CDC data shows that the state's seven-day case rate per 100,000 residents is around 838.8. Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama are all reporting a seven-day case rate per 100,000 residents above 300.

Earlier this week, CDC data showed that 72.48 percent of counties were experiencing high transmission and 16.55 percent were reporting substantial transmission.

According to Walensky, the U.S. reported 132,384 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, while the nation's seven-day moving average number of cases increased by 24 percent to around 114,000 cases per day.

"The seven-day average of hospital admissions is at about 9,700 per day, an increase of about 31 percent from the prior seven day period," Walensky said during the briefing. "And the seven-day average of daily deaths has also increased to 452 per day, an increase of 22 percent from the prior seven-day period."

White House Pandemic Response Coordinator Jeff Zients also spoke during the press briefing and stated that Florida and Texas "accounted for nearly 40 percent" of new COVID-19 hospitalizations across the nation.

In response to the increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths across the nation, health officials have continued to stress the importance of mitigation efforts such as vaccinations and mask wearing. President Joe Biden previously announced that all 4 million federal workers will be required to show proof of vaccination or they will have to undergo weekly testing and following masking guidelines.

The Department of Defense is also working to add COVID-19 vaccines to its list of required vaccines for active duty, reserve and national guard personnel.

Newsweek reached out to the CDC for further comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.