Top US infectious disease official, Anthony Fauci, has warned that the United States is headed in the wrong direction in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci says the US is in an unnecessarily difficult situation due to increasing cases of infection. He says the hike is being fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The top expert said the government may ask those vaccinated to wear masks and recommend that booster shots might be needed. More than 163 million people, or 49 percent of the total US population, are fully vaccinated. However, infections are soaring especially in states with lower vaccination rates. Florida, Texas and Missouri account for 40 percent of all new cases nationwide