U.S. Coronavirus: Florida Mayor Says ‘Too Many People’ Come For Spring Break As U.S. Health Officials Call For Vigilance

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Among the main concerns of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: travel.

“We are very concerned about transmissible variants,” CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky told CNN last week. “A lot of them have passed through our travel lanes, so we’re extremely careful with travel right now.”

The director said that every time the number of trips increased, an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases tended to follow – as was the case with major holidays like July 4, Labor Day and the season. winter vacation.

“There are about the same number of trips now as during Thanksgiving,” she said.

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With the start of spring break, air travel is setting records during the time of the pandemic. TSA figures show more than 1.3 million people were screened at airports on Friday – the highest number since March 15, 2020.

Florida – a popular spring break destination – is already home to crowded beaches.

“We see too much activity during spring break,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told CNN Saturday morning. “We have a problem with too many people coming here, we have a problem with too many people coming here to let go.”

“We are worried,” said the mayor. “It’s very difficult.”

In Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer urged visitors to apply Covid-19 safety precautions.

“We have come a long way as a community to slow the spread of the virus,” Dyer wrote on Twitter. “While enjoying our city and our wonderful climate this weekend, continue your pandemic precautions.

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And it’s not just the crowds that make experts nervous. It is the relaxed Covid-19 restrictions that have now taken effect in states across the country.

“I think we’re giving up a little too soon. Because we’re talking about lifting the mask warrants,” emergency doctor Dr Leana Wen told CNN on Saturday. “I understand the reopening of businesses, I want our businesses and our schools, churches and other institutions to reopen. We can do that if we maintain masked mandates.”

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Texans are no longer under a statewide mask mandate. Tate Reeves, Governor of Mississippi also announced earlier this month he was lifting all county mask warrants. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has announced that the state will remove its statewide mask requirement and allow bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms to resume normal operations starting Tuesday.

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In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Thursday that he is removing all restrictions on events or residents and removing a mask requirement in state buildings.

But, citing concerns about variant B.1.1.7, which was first spotted in the UK and is now spreading in the US, one expert said the “wrong time” now was to remove the mask warrants.

“If there ever was a time to put on the mask, this is it,” National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins told MSNBC on Saturday. “Every piece of data proves that wearing a mask reduces infections, reduces deaths if we still see 50 to 60,000 cases a day right now… now is the time.

Expanded eligibility in select states from Monday

It will be crucial to continue to enforce safety precautions as the United States strives to increase its vaccination numbers.

So far, more than 68.8 million Americans have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine while more than 36.9 million are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.

But the United States still faces major challenges when it comes to receiving gunfire, including “the limited supply of vaccines, the continuing reluctance to take vaccines, and the rise of myths and fears. disinformation, “according to Walensky.

In an effort to increase the number of vaccines, state leaders across the country are announcing expanded requirements for vaccine eligibility.

In Alaska, people living or working in the state who are 16 years of age or older can get the vaccine. Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is the only one available for people 16 years of age or older, while Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are both restricted to people 18 years of age or older.

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Rhode Island’s eligibility opened Friday to residents aged 60 to 64 as well as to people 16 to 64 with certain underlying health conditions.

In Georgia, residents 55 and older and people with disabilities and certain medical conditions will be eligible for the vaccine starting Monday.

Also from Monday, Kentuckians 16 and older with a medical or behavioral health condition that the CDC believes may be at increased risk of serious illness from Covid-19 will also be eligible for the vaccine. Health officials added that smoking would not be under state-covered conditions.

Meanwhile, in California, people with certain medical conditions or high-risk disabilities will also become eligible for a vaccine on Monday.

“The national vaccine supply remains limited, so appointments for the estimated 4.4 million Californians suffering from these conditions or disabilities will not be immediately available to all who are eligible,” said the public health officials.

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On the one hand, there have been “worrying” drops in childhood vaccinations against other infectious diseases, Walensky said at a White House briefing Friday.

“Timely vaccination throughout childhood is essential because it helps provide immunity before children are exposed to life-threatening diseases,” Walensky said. “During the pandemic, we’ve seen a substantial drop in pediatrician visits, and because of that, CDC’s orders for childhood vaccinations have fallen by about 11 million doses – a substantial and historic drop.

As leaders strive to get students back to school, “we certainly don’t want to be faced with other preventable infectious outbreaks, such as measles and mumps,” Walensky said.

“When planning for the safe return of your child to child care programs or to school, please consult with your child’s doctor to make sure they are up to date on their vaccines,” he said. -she adds.

Dr Anthony Fauci said he was also concerned about the adverse mental health consequences of the pandemic in the country.

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“This is the reason why I want the virological aspect of this pandemic to be behind us as quickly as possible, because the long-term ravages of this situation are so manifold,” he told CBS on Thursday.

An expert told CNN on Saturday that it would be helpful for the United States to prepare for a possible increase in mental health care needs by increasing access to mental health services.

“We know that 75% of adults here in America feel stressed – feeling overwhelmed, anxious and depressed,” said Riana Elyse Anderson, assistant professor of health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan.

“We must be ready to heal.”

CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Naomi Thomas, Melissa Alonso, Rebekah Riess, Jacqueline Howard, Pete Muntean and Greg Wallace contributed to this report.

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