American coronavirus: United States returns to first pandemic outbreaks and restrictions. Time to get people to do the right thing, expert says

by



[ad_1]

The culprit is the insufficient rate of vaccinations, and one solution might be forcing people to take action to protect themselves and their community, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and member of the opinion of vaccination from the United States Food and Drug Administration. committee, said Dr Paul Offit.

“We’ve hit a wall,” Offit told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Wednesday. “We’ve gotten to the point where you have to get people to do the right thing.”

The initial enthusiasm for getting the vaccine has waned, and many of those who did not express reluctance or resistance to getting the vaccine. Currently, 49.3% of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – far from the 70 to 85% that experts say would be needed to slow or stop the spread of the virus.

“There was a time when we were giving three million doses a day. If we had stayed that course, we could be at about 80% of population immunity,” Offit said.

And the number of cases is on the rise again. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, 49 states are seeing an increase in the number of cases, and 35 of them are seeing a seven-day average of new cases at least 50% higher than last week.

MLB game postponed due to 12 positive coronavirus tests with Washington Nationals squad

Wednesday’s Washington MLB Nationals game against the Philadelphia Phillies was postponed after 12 members of the Nationals – four players and eight staff – tested positive for Covid-19.

The growing number of cases has prompted some regions to revert to mask warrants.

The mayor of Atlanta on Wednesday issued an executive order requiring masks in all indoor public places, state employees and visitors to Kansas will be required to wear masks indoors from Monday and the Pentagon has put in place a mandate for interior masks regardless of the vaccination status.

But other local leaders oppose a return to pre-vaccine precautions.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp tweeted on Wednesday that he would not issue any mask or lockdown warrants in the state.

Georgia is one of 35 states where new cases this week are more than 50% higher than last week. Currently, 38.5% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

“The biggest obstacle to getting more people vaccinated and getting the country back to normal are the mixed messages from Washington DC and those with partisan agendas. In Georgia we have been consistent,” he said. declared Kemp in his tweets.

Health experts said changes in recommendations, like those made to hide advice, are the result of under-vaccination and the Delta variant changing the landscape of the pandemic.

Experts advocate for immunization mandates as hesitation grows

Despite education efforts, increased accessibility, and financial incentives in many places, immunization rates have slowed dramatically – a worrying trend for health experts who say immunization is the best hope for ending the disease. the pandemic.

Florida hospital staff say they hear panic, fear and regret from unvaccinated Covid-19 patients
Overall vaccine reluctance has declined over the past two months, but some Republicans are more likely to refuse a Covid-19 vaccine now than they were in March, according to survey data released Wednesday by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Interfaith Youth Core.

About 46% of Republicans who trust far-right news the most said they would refuse to be vaccinated, compared with 31% who said the same in March, according to the survey. However, 77% of Republicans who trust mainstream media the most and 64% of Republicans who trust Fox News the most are “vaccine acceptors,” according to survey data.

Some officials and experts have suggested a motivating factor that might help overcome hesitation is vaccination mandates. And many places have started to implement them.

The New York State court system announced Wednesday that all employees will need to undergo regular Covid-19 tests if they are not already vaccinated, according to a statement. And the Durst Organization, one of New York City’s largest real estate developers, said employees who are not vaccinated after Labor Day will be laid off.
Kaleb Zhang fills syringes with the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic at the Hatch Community Center in Hatch, New Mexico on Saturday, July 24, 2021.

Baylor Scott & White Health’s health system in Texas announced on Wednesday that more than 49,000 employees, volunteers, suppliers and students will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by October.

“The Delta variant is the most contagious and dangerous strain we have seen to date, leading to an exponential increase in the rates of serious illness and hospitalization. The overwhelming majority of these cases are among the unvaccinated,” the company said in a statement.

At Maui Memorial Medical Center, visitors must now be vaccinated against Covid-19 due to a surge on the island, hospital CEO Michael Rembis told CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now.

Vaccinated people don’t need booster yet, surgeon general says after Pfizer news

Pfizer released new data on Wednesday suggesting that a third dose of its vaccine may “greatly” enhance protection against the Delta variant – beyond the protection offered by the two standard doses.

The data, which included 23 people, has yet to be peer reviewed or published.

Pfizer data suggests

But US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy told CNN on Wednesday that fully vaccinated people do not need to be boosted at this point, if ever. And any decision on whether that changes will be made by agencies such as the CDC and the United States Food and Drug Administration, he said.

“This data from Pfizer, we talked to them about what they see in regards to their studies related to the boosters,” Murthy told CNN’s “Newsroom” when asked about the release of the data. “But at this point, I want to be very clear: people don’t need to go out and get the shot.”

Murthy also said it would be ethical to recommend a third injection when there is a major vaccine supply shortage in the developing world was a “critical issue.” The ability to reduce the likelihood of developing future variants depends on reducing the spread around the world, he said.

Pfizer plans to submit data on a third dose of its coronavirus vaccine to the FDA as early as next month, one of its research and development officials said on a call for the company’s results on Wednesday. .

CNN’s Kay Jones, Dave Alsup, Raja Razek, Barbara Starr, Deidre McPhillips, Taylor Romine, Alison Kosik and Andy Rose contributed to this report.



[ad_2]

Source link