[ad_1]
As more than 150,000 people test positive for Covid-19 almost every day in the United States, the country is now collectively holding its breath as it waits for the consequences of Thanksgiving weekend to be reflected in the numbers of Covid cases. 19.
Currently, the seven-day average of daily new cases in the United States hovers just above 150,000, after declining slightly after peaking at 172,000 on November 25, the day before Thanksgiving. The number of cases started to climb in mid-October and started to skyrocket in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. The country has passed 100,000; 150,000 and ultimately 200,000 new cases per day for the first time in November.
While the average of new cases appears to have leveled off since mid-November, public health experts warn an increase in cases is likely imminent after Thanksgiving as millions have ignored calls to stay home and avoid mixed family or social gatherings.
The Transportation Security Administration reported that 1.17 million people were screened at airport security checkpoints on Sunday – the highest since the start of the pandemic. In comparison, around 2.8 million people were tested on the same Sunday in 2019.
In an interview with NBC on Sunday, Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, explained what the increase in travel and gatherings could mean for the number of cases.
“What we anticipate, unfortunately, as we go for the next two weeks in December, is that we might see a surge superimposed on the thrust we’re already in,” Fauci said.
Ellie Murray, an epidemiologist at Boston University, said that while many people across the country have taken precautions, many more have likely been exposed to the virus over the holidays.
“What everyone is waiting for is this week and next week these Thanksgiving cases will start to be reported,” Murray said. “Any resulting hospitalizations will be seen around mid-December, and then we’ll start to see people die from the Covid they acquired around Thanksgiving at Christmas in late December.”
The nature of Covid-19’s incubation period means it could take up to two weeks to fully realize how much the spread occurred during Thanksgiving. This delay, coupled with the short span of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, closely followed by the New Years, could mean people might not realize how dangerous the Thanksgiving reunion was.
“People may think that if Thanksgiving didn’t change the amount of the spread, I’m sure I will have Christmas. It’s definitely the wrong thing to think about, but it can be very difficult to convince people based on the data just because of the short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, ”Murray said.
Many hospitals across the country are already quickly running out of rooms as they face Covid-19 hospitalizations resulting from the rise in cases. The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 has been steadily increasing since the end of October.
On November 30, 96,039 people were hospitalized with the virus – the highest since the start of the pandemic, according to the Covid Tracking Project. The number of deaths per day linked to Covid, the increases of which tend to follow increases in hospitalizations, often exceeds 1,000 per day. The total number of deaths in the United States is close to 270,000.
During the pandemic, previous outbreaks of the virus were concentrated in specific regions, with the northeast hit hardest in the spring, the solar belt experiencing an influx of cases over the summer, and the Midwest recording spikes. in autumn. .
But as the United States enters winter, Covid-19 is no longer concentrated in a single region. States in each region are considered “red zones,” where positivity rates are above 10%. Only seven states have a positivity rate below 5%, according to Johns Hopkins University, with the rate increasing in the vast majority of states.
With the power to deal with the virus primarily resting on state and local leaders, some officials have started to implement or threaten tighter restrictions as cases increase.
Gina Raimondo, the governor of Rhode Island, issued a two-week stay-at-home order that began on Monday. Some entertainment businesses, including bowling alleys and theaters, and bars will be forced to close during the two week period. The state has opened two combined 900-bed field hospitals, with hospitals in the state reaching their Covid-19 capacity.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said tighter restrictions on Covid-19 may be imminent as the number of people hospitalized with the virus in the state has increased. “We could potentially take a BREAK in New York,” he said, referring to the state shutdown in March when all businesses except essential businesses were closed.
Gavin Newsom, governor of California, also said he was considering similar tough measures in counties where hospitals are overwhelmed.
Murray stressed that if those who traveled and gathered during Thanksgiving stayed at home and if people took cautious action before Christmas and New Years, then the dreaded spike in cases could be mitigated.
“It is not inevitable that things will go wrong. Everything Thanksgiving has done to our spread has already happened, so this increase has happened, ”Murray said. “We can see this horrible future coming, but there are ways to avoid it.”
[ad_2]
Source link