American coronavirus: one year after declaration of pandemic, number of Covid-19 in the United States is still too high to relax, warns CDC director

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The United States has lost more than 529,000 people to the virus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That’s more than the number of Americans killed in WWI and WWII combined. And the death toll is increasing by the thousands every week.

The number of cases, after plateauing at high levels, could start to decline again, CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said in a White House briefing on Wednesday. Average hospital admissions and deaths related to Covid-19 have also declined over the past week, she added.

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“While these trends start to move in the right direction, the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths still remains too high and is a grim reminder that we must remain vigilant as we work to scale up our vaccination efforts in across this country, ”Walensky said.

What will help now, as the country works to increase its vaccination figures, are the precautions that have been touted by officials for months: face masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds, washing hands.
And it’s especially crucial, experts say, that Americans heed this advice, even as more and more governors announce it’s time to start loosening Covid-19 restrictions and lead the way. to a return to normal. Experts pointed out that we were not there yet.

“We must continue to use proven prevention measures to slow the spread of Covid-19,” Walensky added. “They are bringing us closer to the end of this pandemic.”

People visit the Red Steps in Times Square amid the coronavirus pandemic on March 9, 2021 in New York City

Advice for fully immunized people will evolve with more data

For Americans who have been fully immunized, the new guidelines released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week mark a small first step towards a return to pre-pandemic life, the agency director and others wrote. colleagues in a published JAMA Viewpoint article. Wednesday.

“As the supply of vaccines increases and the distribution and administration systems develop and improve, more and more people will be fully vaccinated and eager to resume their pre-pandemic lives,” Drs. Walensky and CDC. Sarah Mbaeyi and Athalia Christie wrote.

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“Giving vaccinated people the opportunity to safely visit family and friends is an important step towards better well-being and a significant benefit from vaccination,” they added.

The guidelines will evolve as the number of vaccinations increase and more data emerges, officials said, but while many Americans are not vaccinated, public health precautions are still very important.

“With high levels of community transmission and the threat of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, the CDC still recommends a number of preventive measures for all people, regardless of vaccination status,” they wrote.

In its new guidelines, the agency has not updated its travel recommendations: the CDC still says people should delay travel and stay home.

“What we saw is that we have peaks after people start traveling. We saw it after July 4th, we saw it after Labor Day, we saw it after Christmas holidays, ”Walensky said at the briefing. “Currently, 90% of people are still unprotected and not yet vaccinated. So we are really looking forward to updating these guidelines because we have more protection across communities and across people. ”

Over 2 million shots administered daily

More than 62 million Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. About 32.9 million are fully immunized.

And for more than a week, the average of doses administered over seven days in the country has been over two million per day.

As the number of vaccines increases, more and more state leaders are relaxing the requirements on who can get vaccinated.

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In Indiana, teachers and educators can get vaccinated starting Monday, according to Dr. Lindsay Weaver, chief medical officer for the state’s health department.

The state has also added several high-risk conditions to the list of eligible comorbidities, including conditions from infancy that are brought into adulthood, and Weaver added that the state’s plans are gradually expanding the condition. vaccine eligibility next to people aged 40 to 49.

At least 47 states plus DC allow teachers and school staff to receive Covid-19 vaccines. By next Monday, teachers will be eligible in all 50 states.
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In Georgia, officials said the state will expand its vaccine eligibility from March 15 to include people 55 and older as well as people with disabilities and certain medical conditions.

“Supply permitting, vaccine eligibility is expected to open to all adults in April,” Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said in a statement.

Other states also announced expanded vaccine eligibility this week, including Alaska, which has gone the furthest in making vaccines available to anyone who lives or works in the state and who are at least 16 years old. It is the first state in the country to do so.

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is the only one available for people 16 years of age or older, while Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are both restricted to people 18 years of age or older.

New guidelines on nursing homes

New guidelines for nursing homes to expand the number of safe visits were also released this week.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the guidelines in conjunction with the CDC and reported that more than three million doses of the vaccine have so far been given in nursing homes.

The guide allows interior visits regardless of the vaccination status of the resident or visitor, with a few exceptions.

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For example, visits may be limited for residents with Covid-19 or who are in quarantine or for unvaccinated residents living in facilities where less than 70% of residents are fully vaccinated, in a county that has a rate of Covid-19 positivity greater than 10%.

The guidelines state that “compassionate care” visits – including visits to residents whose health may have seriously declined – should be allowed at all times.

It is always recommended that facilities, residents and families maintain their physical distance and try to visit outdoors if possible.

“CMS recognizes the psychological, emotional and physical consequences that prolonged isolation and separation from family have caused to nursing home residents and their families,” CMS Chief Medical Officer Dr Lee Fleisher said in a statement.

“This is why, now that millions of vaccines have been administered to residents and staff of nursing homes, and the number of COVID cases in nursing homes has dropped dramatically, CMS is updating its guidance on visits to reunite more families safely.

CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Elizabeth Stuart, Gisela Crespo and Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.

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