Experts predict the Delta variant will become troublesome in five states that have low vaccination rates and low incidence of COVID-19 infection. Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Wyoming are considered hot spots for the more transmissible form of the coronavirus that was first detected in India and is now invading the U.S.

According to CNN, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the former chief of the Food and Drug Administration, said that while the virus won’t be as pervasive as the first wave of the pandemic,  there will most likely be regionalized outbreaks in certain rural and southern pockets of the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID Data Tracker shows that 46.1% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated. The five states mentioned have less than 35% of their population vaccinated, which makes them prime targets for the Delta mutation.

Gottlieb said that to speed up the vaccination rate to deter Delta “we need to get vaccines into the hands of doctors, make it easier for doctors to supply vaccines in their offices.” The expert added that he believes many more Americans will get their shots so they can go back to work and school in the fall, according to CNN.

In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson is urging residents to get inoculated and is preparing a plan to deal with a potential outbreak if the Delta virus hits the state hard. Only 33.9% of its residents have been vaccinated and hospitalizations are increasing.

“We’ve got to make sure we do everything we can to get the word out,” the governor said. “We are educating, we are doing everything we can. And we’re up to 50% of adults already vaccinated, but we’ve got to get that higher.”

The state has already offered incentives such as $1 million prizes and lottery scratch-offs but has seen little success with that approach. Hutchinson said that he does not expect to impose strict limitations to stave off the spread of infection from the Delta variant because people are more informed about social distancing and wearing masks then they were during the initial stages of the pandemic.

He also said that rising rates of COVID-19 cases may push unvaccinated residents to get their shot. “If incentives won’t work, reality will,” he stated. In Missouri, the highly contagious Delta variant has already gained a strong foothold in rural, unvaccinated areas of the state, contributing to a surge in new cases, according to Kansas City Star News. Currently, Missouri has the lowest vaccination rate in the country.

“That is concerning because this new emerging variant is highly transmissible and the primary target is unvaccinated people,” said Dr. George Turabelidze, the state epidemiologist with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Data from the U.K. which has already been struggling with the Delta variant shows that both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are 90% effective against the virus. However, people who received the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine may need a booster, according to experts, to achieve immunity. Some experts who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are topping it off with a Moderna or Pfizer dose, according to Business Insider.

So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not offered guidance on getting a booster to protect against the Delta variant, and experts say that they hope the agency will provide answers shortly.

“We have two very effective vaccines against the Delta variant, and if the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is significantly less effective then we should stop giving it,” said medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner, according to CNN.