American Coronavirus: United States Takes a Milestone in its Fight Against Covid-19, Fauci Says. But it’s still too early to let our guard down

“We just need to focus on keeping those numbers down further, and not trying to go forward weeks or months and say what we’re going to do at some point,” he said. “Let’s focus like a laser on continuing to reduce these cases, and we can do that by getting people vaccinated.”

“Attending gatherings to celebrate events and holidays increases your risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19. The safest way to celebrate is virtually, with people who live with you, or outside and at least 6 feet from each other, ”he said.

CDC guidelines also recommend that people delay travel until they are fully immunized.

However, 15 states have yet to fully immunize more than half of their residents, according to CDC data: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Carolina of South, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Mandates spur vaccination and opposition

In New York City, a vaccination mandate for educators went into effect on Friday afternoon and New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter told CNN she did not expect the Mandate causes a shortage of teachers on Monday, noting that 93% of the city’s teachers are vaccinated.

“We have more vaccinated than unvaccinated subs, teachers and superintendents have worked with our principals to develop plans to ensure our students receive the education and continue to receive the education they deserve in person. “Porter said.

Porter rebuffed claims by some teachers who say they are unfairly forced to vaccinate instead of being given the opportunity to test.

“We are responsible for over a million students and we have elementary school students who are not eligible for vaccination and so we must do everything in our power to wrap a bubble of protection around our children. and keep them safe, ”Porter said.

On CBS Sunday, Dr Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration, warned against the politicization of vaccines in the United States.

Gottlieb said vaccination has always been seen as a collective decision rather than just an individual choice. “This is why we have a childhood immunization schedule, because your behavior – in regards to your choice of immunization – affects your community,” he said.

Gottlieb said there could be consequences if vaccination becomes a political issue.

“I fear that in the future we will see vaccination rates go down as it becomes more of political football, and we will see people – literally, governors fighting against vaccines and vaccination mandates – during the next presidential cycle. It’s going to be deleterious for public health, in general, if that’s what emerges from this episode we find ourselves in, “he said.

Promising pill shouldn’t deter vaccination

President Joe Biden marked the sad toll in a statement on Saturday and noted the impact of the vaccination, saying: “Hundreds of thousands of families have been spared the unbearable loss that too many Americans have already suffered during this pandemic “.

Merck said it would seek emergency use authorization from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its drug molnupiravir “as soon as possible.” If allowed, it would become the first oral drug that fights Covid-19.

The news was greeted by health experts who also warned that it should not replace vaccinations.

“It’s never okay to be infected,” Fauci told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday.

“It reduced the risk – this pill did – of hospitalizations and death by 50%. Do you know the way to reduce the risk by 100%? Don’t get infected in the first place,” he said. declared.

As for those who rely on a previous infection to protect them against Covid-19, a new study published Friday in the journal The Lancet Microbe suggests that protection may be short-lived.

“Reinfection can reasonably occur in three months or less,” Jeffrey Townsend, professor of biostatistics at the Yale School of Public Health and lead author of the study, said in a press release. “Therefore, those who have been naturally infected should get vaccinated. A previous infection alone may offer very little long-term protection against subsequent infections.”

Vaccines for children on the horizon

Parents hoping to vaccinate their children received good news last week, with Pfizer announcing on Tuesday that it had submitted Covid-19 vaccine data on children aged 5 to 11 to the FDA for an initial examination.

The company has yet to apply for an emergency use authorization, but on Friday the FDA announced that its vaccine advisers would meet on October 26 to discuss the data.

The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is currently approved for use in persons 16 years of age and older in the United States, and has emergency use authorization for persons 12 to 15 years of age.

On Sunday, Fauci warned that while a child might be less likely to have a serious outcome from a Covid-19 case, this is not a “benign situation.”

“We now see, very clearly, if you go to pediatric hospitals, that although this risk is lower than that of adults, there are children in the hospital who get seriously ill,” he said on ” State of the Union ”from CNN.

There is also the risk of long Covid, where some survivors, including children, suffer from symptoms that persist for months after being infected, he said.

“You want to protect your child, but you also want to make the child part of the solution, mainly so that there is no spread of the infection, either in your household or elsewhere. ‘other vulnerable people, “Fauci said, adding that this was a” very positive, it’s a good thing to have their children immunized. “