US in vaccine-variant race, says public health expert



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COVID-19 vaccinations are on the rise in the United States – as are cases of the coronavirus.

After a plateau of several weeks, the number of cases is on the rise again in some parts of the country.

New cases, test positivity rates and hospital admissions are on the rise. An increase in daily COVID-19 deaths will likely follow, says who.

Calling it a race between vaccinations and variants, Ashish Jha, a public health policy researcher and dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, tweeted: “Well, despite phenomenal vaccination rates, the variants have taken the lead this week.”

According to a daily report from the White House COVID-19 team, more than 410,000 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the United States last week – a 9% increase from the previous week. More than 33,000 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 last week, which is a 2% increase.

The number of new cases and hospitalizations per day is still well below an all-time high in mid-January, when the United States recorded about 250,000 new cases per day. Nonetheless, the current trend of cases raises concerns among health officials that the United States could see a fourth increase in coronavirus infections as states drop masking warrants and some members of the public weary of the pandemic. post mitigation measures.

“There is reason to be optimistic, but there is no need to relax,” Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus coordinator, said at a press conference on March 26. “Now is not the time to let our guard down. We need to follow public health advice, wear a mask, stay away socially, and get vaccinated when it’s your turn.”

Cases are increasing in a number of pockets across the country. In Michigan, the increase in coronavirus cases is bringing people in their 30s and 40s in hospital at rates similar to the winter push – about 60 people every day – according to reports by NPR affiliate Michigan Radio. Detroit, New York and Philadelphia were among several cities that saw an acceleration in the number of cases last week.

Health officials warn the country now faces a tougher enemy than in the early stages of the pandemic – strains of the coronavirus have mutated to spread more easily and possibly cause more serious illness. According to a tally kept by the CDC, these so-called “worrying variants” have arisen in all states and are increasingly dominant where they arose.

“We are monitoring this very closely,” CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said at a press conference on March 26. “We are concerned about the increase.”

The increase in cases and variants comes at a time when the COVID-19 vaccination campaign is also reaching new heights. A third of the total population of the United States has received COVID-19 vaccines and President Biden set a new goal at his press conference on Thursday: to get at least 200 million shots in the arms during of its first hundred days. Health officials say people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 – which means at least two weeks have passed since the last vaccine – are largely protected from serious illness and less likely to spread the virus to d ‘other.

Until much of the population has been fully immunized, however, health experts believe the public should adhere to mitigation measures – such as masking, physical distancing, and enhancement. indoor ventilation – to protect your own life and that of your companions.

“We are so close to vaccinating more people,” Walensky said at a March 22 press briefing, referring to an expected increase in vaccine availability. She sees the situation in Europe, where countries are locking themselves down again and reintroducing restrictions in response to a rapid increase in cases, as a warning.

“We just don’t want to be at this rapid increase in cases again, and it’s very possible that it will happen,” she said.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To learn more, visit https://www.npr.org.



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