TSA records 'highest throughput' during COVID-19 pandemic as Delta variant continues to spread nationwide

A TSA officer wears a mask at Logan International Airport in Boston in March 2020.
Brian Snyder/Reuters

More than 2.1 million people flew for the Fourth of July weekend, according to data from the Transportation Security Administration.
That figure represents the TSA's "highest throughput since the start of the pandemic," a TSA spokesperson said.
The news of the high throughput comes as health officials warn of the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
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The Transportation Security Administration on Friday screened millions of people traveling for the long holiday weekend, according to Lisa Farbstein, TSA spokesperson.

"JUST IN: @TSA screened 2,196,411 people at airport checkpoints yesterday, Friday, July 2," Farbstein said on Twitter. "It was the highest throughput since the start of the pandemic. Come to the airport prepared for security screening without prohibited items in your carry-on bag and #MaskUp."

-Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 3, 2021

News of TSA's high throughput comes as the Delta variant continues to spread rapidly nationwide.

The variant has been detected in all 50 states, and health officials all over continue to urge Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Five states in particular - Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, Nevada, and Utah - are susceptible to the Delta variant.

More than 605,000 people have died from the coronavirus since its inception in the United States, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. About 47% of the total US population is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, JHU data says.

President Joe Biden said he hoped at least 70% of all adults in the country would receive at least one dose by the Fourth of July holiday this year. Twenty states have already hit the 70% partial vaccination rate among their adult populations. But nationwide, the White House conceded Biden's goal would likely fall short.

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