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WASHINGTON – The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday that the United States was “not yet out of the woods” of the pandemic and was again at a “pivot point” as the highly infectious variant of the Delta has spread without vaccines. communities.
Just weeks after President Biden threw a July 4th party on the South Lawn of the White House to declare independence from the virus, Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky called the now-dominant variant “the one of the most infectious respiratory viruses ”known to scientists.
The renewed sense of urgency within the administration was aimed at tens of millions of people who have yet to be vaccinated and are therefore most likely to be infected and become ill. Her grim message came at a time of growing anxiety and confusion, particularly among parents of young children who are still ineligible for the vaccine. And it underscored how quickly the latest wave of the pandemic had unsettled Americans who had started to believe the worst was over, sending politicians and public health officials to scramble to recalibrate their responses.
“It’s like the moment in the horror movie where you think the horror is over and the credits are about to roll,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland. “And it all starts again. “
The choice of millions to reject the vaccine has had the consequences predicted by public health officials: the number of new cases in the country has climbed nearly 250% since the beginning of the month, with an average of more than 41,000 infections diagnosed each. day over the past week – up from 12,000.
The disease caused by the virus kills around 250 people every day – far fewer than in peaks last year, but still 42% more than two weeks ago. More than 97% of people hospitalized are not vaccinated, Dr Walensky said last week.
The public health crisis is particularly acute in areas of the country where vaccination rates are lowest. In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, the number of new daily cases has increased by more than 200% in the past two weeks, resulting in new hospitalizations and deaths almost exclusively among the unvaccinated. Intensive care units are full or filling in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas.
The turnaround forces both political parties in Washington to grapple – so far hesitantly and hesitantly – with questions about what tone they should set, what direction they should provide, and what changes they should make. to deal with the latest iteration of the worst audience. health crisis in a century.
The White House on Thursday announced new grants to local health units for vaccines and increased testing in rural communities, even as administration officials said they were “making continued progress in our fight against the disease. viruses ”and insisted that there was no need to reconsider their basic strategy. Although reports of so-called “breakthrough” infections in those vaccinated are on the rise, they remain relatively rare, and those causing serious illness, hospitalization or death are particularly so.
But the surge in infections and hospitalizations in parts of the country, though mostly limited to people who have chosen not to get vaccinated, has presented Mr Biden with an evolving challenge that could threaten the economic recovery and his own. political position.
The stock market is wobbly. His administration is under further pressure to reimpose mask warrants, as Los Angeles County did this week. And the president’s main aides are on the defensive about their strategy to bring the pandemic under control.
“It’s frustrating,” Biden admitted Wednesday evening at a municipal event on CNN.
The rise of the variant may also change the equation for some Republicans, who see many of their own voters hospitalized – or worse. Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, House No. 2 Republican, received his first blow on Sunday, noting “another spike” in the pandemic. Fox News host Sean Hannity said on his show, “I believe in the science of vaccinations.”
Republican House leaders and elected doctors on Capitol Hill on Thursday only reluctantly signaled their support for vaccinations, though even that support is mixed.
“If you’re at risk you should get this vaccine,” said Maryland physician representative Andy Harris, adding, “We urge all Americans to talk to their doctors about the risks of Covid, to talk to their doctors about the risks of Covid. benefits. to get vaccinated and then make a decision.
Rep. Greg Murphy, Republican of North Carolina, said, “This vaccine is a drug, and like any drug, there are side effects and it’s a personal decision.”
Their press conference was heralded as an attempt to “discuss the need for individuals to be vaccinated”. But it has been dominated by efforts to promote an unproven theory that the Chinese have released a virulent man-made virus into the world and accusations that Democrats have covered it up.
Vaccines work to keep those who have received injections out of serious danger, but charts of the pandemic that has been declining for months – heralded by Mr Biden as proof his approach was working – are on the rise.
The quick sweep of the new variant has people wondering if they should retreat from restaurants, cinemas, bars, sporting events and their offices again. What seemed like clear – and mostly positive – choices just a few days ago, now look muddy.
White House officials deflected questions Thursday as to whether vaccinated people should resume wearing masks indoors, as Los Angeles County health officials ordered a few days ago. Jeffrey D. Zients, the coronavirus coordinator for the White House, has only said that current CDC guidelines do not require it.
“It’s up to every American to do their part,” he said. “We know that everyone’s vaccination journey is different. We are ready to vaccinate more Americans whenever, wherever they are ready. “
Amidst the worry, one thing is clear: the variant has again overturned hopes of an end to the pandemic and raised fears of a new fear on the horizon – that a much-anticipated return to work and school could. be disrupted after most of the country spent nearly 18 months in home isolation.
“I am worried about the fall,” said Representative Lauren Underwood, Illinois Democrat and registered nurse. “August is going to be difficult. The return to school will be difficult. We’re going to see more disease and more deaths.
Andy Slavitt, a public health expert who recently left Biden’s White House coronavirus response team, said the administration would not consider imposing vaccinations on military labor forces or federal until the Food and Drug Administration gave permanent approval to the coronavirus vaccines, which are now under emergency use authorization.
But, he said, final approval for the Pfizer vaccine is “within weeks to months.” Once that happens, he said, “everything should be on the table, and I can tell you that is the attitude inside the White House.”
Public school systems might also mandate vaccination at this point, just as they mandate vaccines against polio, measles, mumps and rubella – with a few exceptions for religious or health reasons. This would quickly drive up vaccination rates.
Beyond terms of office, there are few obvious policy changes, as Congress has already inundated health authorities with funds for immunization campaigns and made vaccines widely available. Representative Ami Bera, Democrat from California, who is a doctor, suggested that the Biden administration organize a public advertising campaign modeled on the smoking cessation campaigns that once featured a dying man smoking through a tracheotomy.
“Let’s do an ad with a 20 year old guy who says, ‘I didn’t take him seriously. I got it and I killed my grandmother, ”he said.
Republicans have stressed their refusal to go back.
“You don’t need to shut things up,” said Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, a physician. “Listen, as far as I know, no child under the age of 18 has died from Covid, unless they also have a serious health problem. “
U.S. child deaths are extremely low – 346 as of July 15 – but some of them likely did not have underlying health issues.
So far, Republicans have also resisted sounding the alarm among conservative populations. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported in late June that 86% of Democrats had had at least one stroke, compared to 52% of Republicans.
Policymakers feel crippled, in large part because once Americans return to life without masks and other restrictions, it will be difficult to turn back the clock. The warrants for vaccines and masks would almost certainly cause a backlash, but they could also save lives.
“We all have this psychology, well, it’s over, but intellectually we know it’s not over,” said Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader. He asked, “How do we get a society that felt like it was locked in a mask and then released to go back?”
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