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On Friday, the federal government warned impatient governors against easing pandemic control measures, saying that a recent sharp drop in coronavirus cases and deaths in the United States “could slow” and “potentially worsen. stabilize at a still very high number ”- a worrying development that comes as more cases of new worrying variants have been discovered and could suggest that a return to normal is not yet as close as many Americans had hoped .
“Things are precarious,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a White House briefing on the pandemic. “Now is not the time to relax restrictions.”
His warning was reinforced by Dr Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s senior epidemiologist, as the Biden administration struggled to stay ahead of any new wave. President Biden himself flew to Houston to present the government’s latest mass vaccination site.
According to a New York Times database, cases of the virus across the United States appear to be leveling off after the sharp drop that began in January, with numbers comparable to those reported in late October. Cases have increased slightly week-over-week in recent days, although limited severe weather testing and reports in Texas and other states in the previous week have not been provided, and all states did not report full data on the President’s holiday. The seven-day average of new cases was 77,800 as of Thursday.
While deaths tend to fluctuate more than cases and hospital admissions, Dr Walensky said in Friday’s briefing, the most recent seven-day average is slightly above average earlier in the week. . The seven-day average of the newly reported deaths was 2,165 as of Thursday.
“We at the CDC see this as a very concerning course change,” she said, adding, “I want to be clear: the cases, hospital admissions and deaths – all remain very high and the recent change in the pandemic must be taken very seriously. . “
Dr Walensky said part of the rise could be attributed to newer variants of the coronavirus that spread more efficiently and quickly. The so-called B.1.1.7 variant, which first appeared in Britain, now accounts for around 10% of all cases in the United States, up from 1-4% a few weeks ago, a- she declared. The ability of the United States to follow variants is much less robust than that of Great Britain.
“I know people are tired; they want to come back to life, to normal, ”she said. “But we are not there yet.”
As cases have declined, some governors in the United States have begun to ease restrictions on the pandemic. States with Republican governors seemed more keen on pulling back, although New York, which has a Democrat as its governor, has also eased restrictions on a variety of activities.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, on Friday announced that on Monday restaurants would be able to serve alcohol after 11 p.m. and residents would not need to seek approval from the ‘State to organize events with 250 people or more. In an attempt to limit the spread of the virus, the state last year ordered bars to stop serving alcohol after 11 p.m., three hours earlier than the late-night bar crowd.
Brian Symmes, a spokesperson for Mr McMaster, said the governor “appreciates perspectives that differ from his own”, but “respectfully disagrees” with Dr Walensky’s assessment.
In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Friday announced he would lift capacity restrictions on bars, restaurants, gyms and large venues, but extend the state’s emergency order and the mask’s mandate until ‘to March 31. The current emergency order was due to expire. February 27.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday he plans to lift a statewide mask mandate in place since July.
In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves said he is also considering removing some restrictions, especially mask warrants for people who have been fully vaccinated. As of Friday, 13% of the state’s population had received at least one shot and 6.2% had received two, according to a Times database.
Dr Fauci echoed Dr Walensky’s warnings that more backtracking at the state or local level would not be wise, noting that case levels remained in a “very precarious position”.
“We don’t want to be people who always look at the dark side of things, but you want to be realistic,” he said. “So we need to carefully consider what will happen over the next week with these numbers before we start to make the need to ease some restrictions understandable.”
In Oregon, Governor Kate Brown extended the state’s emergency order until May 2. The state saw a sharp drop in daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths this week, but citing the new variants, Ms Brown said “now is not the time to let our guard down.
Eileen Sullivan Remy tumin, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Mitch smith contribution to reports.
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