EDITOR’S NOTE: This post, dated Tuesday, July 27, is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Contributors are Athalia Christie, MIA1; John T. Brooks, MD1; Lauri A. Hicks, DO1; Erin K. Sauber-Schatz, PhD1; Jonathan S. Yoder, MSW, MPH1; Margaret A. Honein, PhD1; and the CDC COVID-19 Response Team. ATLANTA – COVID-19 vaccination remains the most effective means to achieve control of the pandemic. In the United States, COVID-19 cases and deaths have markedly declined since their peak in early January, due in part to increased vaccination coverage. However, from June 19 to July 23, COVID-19 cases increased approximately 300% nationally, followed by increases in hospitalizations and deaths, driven by the highly transmissible B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Data indicate vaccines authorized in the United States (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Janssen [Johnson & Johnson]) offer high levels of protection against severe…