US Coronavirus: Despite Decline in Covid-19 Cases, Expert Says US Is In ‘Hurricane’s Eye’ As Variants Spread

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“I’ve been on Zoom calls for two weeks on how we’re going to handle this,” Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN Sunday. “The great wall is about to hit us again and these are the new variants.”

Nearly 700 cases of Covid-19 variants first spotted in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the US so far, according to data updated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It could be really, really bad for our country as we head into spring,” Hotez said of the variants. “Now we are in a race. We are in a race to see how quickly we can immunize the American people.”

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The United States surpassed 27 million reported infections on Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 31 million Americans have so far received at least their first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, according to CDC data, as officials work to increase immunizations across the country. More than 9 million people have so far received both doses of a vaccine, data shows.

And a third vaccine could soon hit the US market: Johnson & Johnson applied to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for their vaccine last week.

What we know about variants and vaccines

But the Covid-19 variants have also complicated matters for some vaccines. Here is what we know.

Health experts continue to encourage Americans to get vaccinated as soon as they can. Research published last month provided reassuring evidence that people vaccinated against the virus are also likely to be protected against new, emerging variants.

Here are the states allowing teachers to get vaccinated against Covid-19

Moderna previously said two doses of his vaccine should protect against variants first detected in the UK and South Africa, but added that he plans to test the booster shots with great caution. Pfizer also said last month that it was “paving the way” to create vaccine boosters if a variant “shows evidence of evading immunity thanks to our vaccine.”

Meanwhile, health officials in South Africa said on Sunday they were suspending the country’s rollout of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine after a study showed it offered reduced protection against the variant. identified for the first time.

The first data published on Sunday suggested that two doses of the vaccine offered only “minimal protection” against the mild and moderate Covid-19 of the variant. The efficacy of the vaccine against severe Covid-19, hospitalization and death has not been evaluated.

South Africa halts AstraZeneca vaccine rollout after study shows less protection against variant

A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said in a statement: “We believe our vaccine will always protect against serious disease” of the variant and added that “the activity of neutralizing antibodies is equivalent to other COVID-19 vaccines which have demonstrated activity against more serious diseases, particularly when the dosing interval is optimized to 8-12 weeks. “

Concerns About Super Bowl Parties

Officials continued to remind Americans that it’s not just vaccines that will play a role in helping slow the pandemic in the months to come. These are also the public health measures that have proven effective in curbing the spread of the virus: masks, social distancing, avoiding gatherings and washing your hands regularly.

It is always safer to avoid indoor meals, even as more states allow it

But some have chosen to leave these suggestions at home over the weekend before and after the Super Bowl. Images emerged of Tampa, Florida, of crowded streets and places as well as events with unmasked attendees and celebrity-hosted parties.

“I am extremely concerned,” Dr. Melissa Clarke, a member of the District of Columbia’s advisory committee on vaccine distribution, told CNN on Sunday. “Now we are faced with the issues not only of the Super Bowl parties, but also of the fact that it will be spring soon and the spring fever is going to set in and people who have been locked in their homes all winter will want exit.”

“I would caution everyone: remember to keep practicing these behaviors and not to tire yourself out with Covid,” Clarke added. “Keep hiding, keep walking away, keep avoiding the crowds.”

What it will take to reopen schools

Mitigation measures will play a particularly key role in helping schools reopen safely, two officials said Sunday, as the CDC is expected to issue guidance soon on how schools can open during the pandemic.

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The safe reopening of schools is “a simple question but with a complicated answer, because it really depends on the level of infection in the community,” Dr Anthony Fauci told NBC on Sunday.

On the one hand, communities should work to ensure teachers are quickly immunized, Fauci said. And there should also be a focus on getting what schools need to reopen, including masks and adequate ventilation, among other measures.

Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CBS that when it comes to reopening schools, “the prerequisite is to put in place mitigation measures in schools.”

San Francisco School District and unions reach tentative deal to reopen in-person learning

He noted that when people wore masks and remained socially distant, there was “very little transmission in the classroom.”

And while it would be good to prioritize teachers for vaccines, he said: “I don’t think that’s necessarily a prerequisite. I think schools have demonstrated that they can open safely if they took precautions in class. ”

Their recommendation comes amid an ongoing struggle in many parts of the country over how to safely return to school.

Announcements of tentative agreements paving the way for a return to in-person teaching came from San Francisco and Chicago on Sunday, where officials disagreed with school employees on the best approach for a return. .

CNN’s Jamie Gumbrecht, Amanda Sealy, Sharif Paget and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.

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