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COVID-19 deaths in the United States are on the decline again, hospitalizations are declining, and new cases per day are set to drop below 100,000 for the first time in two months – all signs that the summer wave is fading.
Not wanting to lose momentum, government leaders and employers are looking to strengthen and expand vaccine requirements.
Los Angeles enacted one of the country’s strictest vaccination mandates on Wednesday, a sweeping measure that would require injections for anyone entering a bar, restaurant, nail salon, gym or Lakers game. . New York and San Francisco have similar rules.
The governor of Minnesota this week called for vaccine and testing requirements for teachers and long-term care workers. In New York City, a statewide vaccination mandate for all hospital and nursing home workers will be extended to home care and hospice workers on Thursday.
Across the country, the number of deaths per day has declined by nearly 15% since mid-September and now averages around 1,750. New cases have fallen to just over 103,000 per day in average, down 40% over the past three weeks.
The number of Americans currently hospitalized with COVID-19 has declined by about a quarter since its most recent peak of nearly 94,000 a month ago.
“What we are seeing is what we have seen in the previous three outbreaks,” said Dr. Marybeth Sexton, infectious disease specialist at Emory University School of Medicine. “What we have to remember is that when we see those numbers go down, it’s not a signal to let go. It’s a signal to push harder. “
If people forgo masks and social distancing and stop getting vaccinated, “we could be back here in the winter with a wave of five,” she said.
The declines have been particularly marked in several states in the Deep South, where cases have declined more than twice as fast as nationally. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas have all seen their number of cases halve in the past two weeks.
What is behind the decline is not entirely clear, although health experts point out that the numbers are declining as more people get vaccinated and new requirements for the vaccine are set. in place by government and private employers.
Several large employers and institutions with vaccine requirements have high compliance rates. Kaiser Health in California said more than 97% of its workers have been vaccinated, while 92% of Denver city workers have been vaccinated, well above the city’s overall rate.
Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest healthcare system, said last week that 82% of its employees were fully immunized. But this week, a group of employees took legal action to block the mandate, which includes forcing unvaccinated spouses to pay an additional $ 200 per month in health insurance.
The decrease in the number of cases could also be due to the virus which is lacking in susceptible people in some places.
The easing comes alongside other encouraging developments, including the possibility that vaccines for 5 to 11 year olds will be available in a few weeks and that the first pill to treat people with COVID-19 could hit the market. ‘by the end of the year.
Globally, new reported cases have plummeted over the past week, continuing a downward global trend that began in August, the World Health Organization said. The United Nations agency reported that the biggest drop in the number of deaths was in Africa.
Elsewhere in the world, the daily number of coronavirus deaths in Russia topped 900 for the first time in the pandemic this week due to low vaccination rates and the government’s reluctance to impose strict restrictions on the control of infections.
And authorities in Sweden, Denmark and Norway have suspended or discouraged the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in young people due to an increased risk of heart inflammation, a very rare side effect associated with the vaccine.
Despite the encouraging leadership in the United States, health experts say it’s not time for people to let their guard down because there are still far too many unvaccinated people.
“It’s still mostly a problem with unvaccinated people,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University. “Some of them take precautions, but a lot of them feel like they don’t have to worry.”
There are also fears that a new wave could occur during the winter months, when more people are indoors.
While nationwide hospitalizations are at their lowest for two months, intensive care units and staff in sharply increasing areas from Alaska to New England remain breathless.
Despite some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, parts of New England, including Maine, are seeing record numbers of cases, largely among the unvaccinated.
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