With infections declining, US heads into summer confident they’ve already brought the pandemic under control

WASHINGTON.- US knocking on summer door with coronavirus pandemic all but under control. The country with the highest number of cases and deaths – over 33 million and 600,000 respectively – has managed to “flatten” the contagion curve thanks to the progress of the vaccination campaign, and in recent weeks, the number Weekly average of new cases has fallen to the lowest level in a year.

Fears of new variants of the virus appear to have subsided, and concern that the race between vaccines and strains that have emerged in the UK, Manaus, South Africa or India could banish the progress the country has made in recent years. years. month. Although the vaccination has lost their vertigo, more than 60% of adults have received at least one dose, and everything indicates that the White House will reach the target of 70% by July 4, Independence Day..

Whatever statistic you are looking at, they are all moving in the direction you want. Infections, hospitalizations, deaths and the number of tests that return a positive result – which fell to a record low of 2.6%, according to Johns Hopkins University – are all down, in exactly the opposite direction to the number of people vaccinated.

The climate that is breathed in Washington is repeated in other cities of the country: the terraces of the restaurants – which were enlarged during the pandemic – are full of people, and it is more and more common to see people with their faces uncovered. walking through the streets. All activities have returned to normal or are preparing to do so in the coming weeks. The city’s main concert halls, like 9:30 a.m., The Anthem or Echostage, have already started selling tickets for the first post-pandemic concerts, which will begin next month.

Behind the bend is the progress of the vaccination campaign, which has accelerated with the change of government. When Joe Biden arrived at the White House, only 6% of the adult population had received at least one dose of any of the licensed vaccines. Today, more than 60% have already received an injection and half are already fully vaccinated. After more than a year of devastation by the virus, the latest advances have led the authorities to redouble their efforts to perpetuate the vaccination campaign, without lowering their guard.

“We are still at war with the virus,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said after reviewing the latest official figures.

Oregon was the latest state to join a trend: offering first-time vaccines to participate in a lottery. Ohio was the pioneer state, followed by Maryland and New York. The White House has also announced that dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge or Match, which are mainly used by young people, will allow their users to announce that they have been vaccinated.

The drop in infections reinforced the reopening. Today, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city will stop offering virtual education next fall, when a new school year begins.. New York has the largest education system in the country, and the mayor’s advance ruling is one of the most important because it provides a clear picture for millions of parents and students who struggled with the vicissitudes last year. distance education. . New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has also said he expects all schools to open full time in the fall.

“Not only do we have good news this morning, but we have good news this morning,” began an exultant de Blasio at the town hall. “New York is going in the right direction, we are healthier, we are opening up, we are recovering. We are definitely winning the fight against Covid-19, ”de Blasio remarked.

In mid-May, the federal government took another decisive step toward normalcy when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its recommendation and announced that fully vaccinated people – those who received the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson’s single dose over two weeks ago – they could stop wearing the chinstrap for most activities outside the home. Although the communication of the measure has raised controversies and doubts, the new recommendation has already started to be adopted and the use of masks is less and less frequent.

A year ago, the Remembrance Day long weekend, which in the United States is considered the informal start of the summer season, marked the end of the first lockdown of the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of people have left isolation and left their homes in an attempt to return to normalcy amid warnings from health officials across the country of the risk of another spike in infections, which actually began to appear weeks ago. later. This year, no one expects that warning to repeat.