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The United States may be in the early stages of a fourth wave of the nationwide Covid-19 pandemic, with coronavirus cases increasing in 25 states, reports show.
The United States has averaged 63,000 new cases per day over the past week, an increase of 17% from the previous week, the Axios news site reported. Only five states have recently seen a drop in new cases. The third wave of the pandemic, which peaked in January, saw around 250,000 people testing positive for Covid-19 every day, Hill reported.
This new increase in cases is most pronounced in Michigan and New York, but it is spreading across large swathes of the country. The threat of a fourth wave comes as many states have relaxed restrictions on Covid-19 – ignoring numerous warnings from public health officials that this was premature.
Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Monday that a fourth wave is pretty much guaranteed, noting: “I’m going to lose the scenario, and I’m going to think about the recurrence. feeling that I have an impending doom.
“We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential from where we are at, and so much to hope for. But for now, I’m scared, ”Walensky also said during a moving moment at a White House briefing.
Joe Biden implored regional officials to keep or reinstate the mask of their terms, due to the alarming trend in the number of cases in the United States.
“I reiterate my call to every governor, mayor and local leader to maintain and restore the mask’s mandate,” the president said a few hours after Walensky’s remarks. “Please, this is not politics. Reinstate the warrant if you drop it. “
Any fourth wave is likely to be less deadly than previous waves, especially in older people where 73% of older people have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. But a new wave of the virus can easily thwart progress in the fight against the pandemic. Even with fewer deaths, millions of people will remain at risk of disease and death, and another surge will put strain on America’s overburdened healthcare system.
Meanwhile, millions of young Americans with health conditions that put them at higher risk have still not been vaccinated despite a vaccine rollout in the United States that has garnered widespread praise for its speed. Covid-19-related hospitalizations have increased amid the apparent resurgence of the virus, although less than before.
The ongoing pandemic is also paving the way for the emergence of variant strains of the virus. The variants causing this epidemic are more contagious than the initial strain of Covid-19. Currently available Covid-19 vaccines may also be less effective against these variants.
Relaxed restrictions and increasingly lax behavior among pandemic-weary Americans have further fueled the flames of the Covid-19 resurgence. Some states, including Texas, have abandoned their mask warrants. Even states that have historically imposed stronger restrictions during the pandemic have relaxed regulations despite the hike.
Wan Yang, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, told the New York Times that the change in habits could lead to a continued increase in coronavirus cases in New York and the state. More New York City residents are interacting inside buildings, with increased access to indoor meals and group fitness classes.
In Rockland County, New York, north of the city, teens, along with people between the ages of 20 and 49, are behind the increase in the number of cases. “They are done with it, they want to get out,” county health commissioner Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert told The Times.
New Jersey, which has seen one of the highest coronavirus case rates in the United States, has seen a 20% increase in the past 14 days. Despite this, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday he would ease seating capacity restrictions at sports venues, as well as indoor dining events.
Although the data on the cases is increasingly dire, vaccination efforts have grown dramatically. Biden said on Monday that up to 90% of American adults would be eligible for a Covid-19 shot by April 19.
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