Delta variant gains ground in US as outbreaks highlight vaccine divide

Infection rates in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi are among the highest in the US - and their vaccination rates are among the lowest

A cluster of midwestern and southern states have emerged as a new center of Covid-19 outbreaks, as the highly transmissible Delta variant sweeps across poorly vaccinated populations in the US.

The news marks a potentially serious setback for the Biden administration's attempts to curb and control the pandemic as the Delta variant - which has wreaked havoc in the UK and elsewhere - is starting to spread more widely in America.