American Coronavirus: Despite the decline in Covid-19 cases in the United States, infections are still incredibly high. Here’s what worries the experts

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But now is not the time to forgo security measures – for several reasons – according to experts.

More than 54,000 people remain hospitalized with the virus across the country, according to the COVID follow-up project. And more than 57,000 Covid-19-related deaths have been recorded this month alone. California became the first state to exceed 50,000 virus-related deaths on Wednesday, data from Johns Hopkins showed – a grim reminder of the state’s brutal battle against the virus.

In fact, health officials are bracing for a possible third wave that will be driven by a fast-spreading variant that was first identified in the UK: B.1.1.7. Data from the CDC shows that more than 1,880 cases of the variant have been detected across the United States – but scientists have warned that this number probably does not represent the total of cases in the country.

“We could all wish this was the last wave,” said Andy Slavitt, senior White House adviser for the Covid-19 response team. “But we wouldn’t be doing our job if we weren’t really focused on the variant containment measures, if we weren’t really focused on how therapies might help minimize the effects of variants, how we could make sure, if we have another wave, it’s different, ”he told a webinar hosted by the American Public Health Association.

To address this growing threat, the CDC is collaborating with public and private laboratories to expand genomic sequencing capacity. And with the Biden administration’s $ 200 million sequencing investment last week, the CDC hopes to quickly meet the goal of sequencing 25,000 sample sequences per week, Walensky said.

Meanwhile, two separate teams of researchers said they found a disturbing new variant in New York City and other parts of the Northeast that carries mutations that help it evade the body’s natural immune response – as well as the effects of monoclonal antibody treatments.
And two studies expected to be released soon raise concerns about a variant that scientists are monitoring in California, suggesting that the variant could not only be more contagious, but also cause more serious illness.
Vanessa Garnes, Chief Supervisor of Nurse & # 39; s Heart Medical Staffing based in Columbus, Ohio administers Covid-19 test on February 21, 2021

A third vaccine for the United States could be in a few days

But there is good news. The United States could be days away from marketing another vaccine.
Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisers will meet on Friday to determine if the Johnson & Johnson vaccine works and if it is safe. They will make a recommendation to the FDA and the agency could give the green light to the vaccine as early as Friday or Saturday. Next, CDC advisers are due to meet on Sunday to discuss recommendations surrounding the potential vaccine deployment – recommendations that should be formally accepted by the CDC.
Johnson & amp; Johnson Covid-19 vaccine safe and effective, FDA analysis finds
And things are already going well: In an analysis released Wednesday, the FDA said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine meets requirements for emergency use authorization.

The efficacy of the moderate to severe / critical Covid-19 vaccine in all geographies was 66.9% at least 14 days after single-dose vaccination and 66.1% at least 28 days after vaccination, according to analysis.

“There were no specific safety concerns identified in analyzes of subgroups by age, race, ethnicity, medical co-morbidities or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection,” the analysis states.

Millions of more vaccine doses on the way

And while the United States has battled supply shortages as it scrambles to get Americans vaccinated, the numbers will rise in the months to come.

Questions remain about the deployment of the J & amp; J Covid-19 as the authorization decision approaches
Pfizer and Moderna – whose vaccines were already cleared for emergency use – have pledged to make a combined total of 220 million doses available for shipment by the end of March. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson, if it obtains emergency use authorization, has pledged to make 20 million doses available within the same amount of time.
And a fourth Covid-19 vaccine could be available in the United States in April – which could add millions of additional doses to the country’s supply by the end of the month.
President Joe Biden previously said the United States will have enough vaccines for 300 million Americans by the end of July.

Other challenges facing national and state leaders are vaccine reluctance and racial inequalities.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear on Wednesday announced an initiative in collaboration with the Lexington chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to provide equitable access to vaccines and combat hesitation.

According to a press release from the governor’s office, while blacks make up about 8.4% of the state’s population, they make up about 4.6% of those vaccinated so far.
Lack of equity among priority groups leaves most vulnerable from Covid-19 without vaccine, analysis finds

Reverend Jim Thurman, president of the Lexington-Fayette County branch of the NAACP, said he understood his community’s reluctance, saying he himself was initially reluctant to get the vaccine for historical reasons .

“I quickly realized that it was safe and that you couldn’t get the virus from the vaccine,” Thurman said. “COVID-19 has been, and still is, hitting the African American community and other communities of people of color much harder. We need the vaccine.

California officials, meanwhile, said they would make changes to the statewide Covid-19 vaccine appointment system after access codes distributed to underserved communities were used by foreigners to get appointments for vaccines.

Recent data shows black and Latino residents collectively received 19% of the state’s vaccine doses while accounting for almost 60% of Covid-19 cases in California. In contrast, white residents received 32.7% of vaccine doses while accounting for about 20% of the condition’s cases.

A new initiative for long-haul travelers

Meanwhile, a major announcement was made this week for those who may still be struggling with the aftermath of Covid-19 for a long time after their battle with the virus.

Nearly a third of people with `` mild '' Covid-19 are still fighting symptoms months later, study finds
The National Institutes of Health announced a new initiative to study “Long Covid” and “to identify the causes and ultimately the means of prevention and treatment of people with Covid-19, but who do not fully recover on a period of a few weeks, ”NIH director Dr. Francis Collins said in a statement.

The director said that “a large number of patients” infected with the virus continue to display a series of symptoms since their recovery, which can include trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, fatigue and depression.

Clinics are growing across the country for what some are calling a potential second pandemic: Long Covid

“While still defined, these effects may be collectively referred to as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC),” the statement said.

“We don’t yet know the extent of the problem, but given the number of individuals of all ages who have been or will be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, the impact on public health could be profound, ”he added.

The statement said that in December, Congress provided $ 1.15 billion in funding over four years to NIH to support research into the prolonged effects of an infection.

According to Collins, some of the questions the initiative hopes to answer include what are the underlying biological causes of prolonged symptoms and what makes some people vulnerable, but not others.

CNN’s Ben Tinker, Naomi Thomas, Amanda Watts, Jen Christensen, Maggie Fox, Cheri Mossburg and Christopher Rios contributed to this report.



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