The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told the NBC program “Today” that he believes the vaccination rate will increase until March and April.
There would be more doses available daily, he said. And he said he was “fairly certain” that pharmacies, community vaccination centers and mobile units would help catch up by the end of April – and not just for those in higher priority groups.
“I would imagine that, when we are in April, we would ask for better wording in the open season,” Fauci said. “Virtually anyone and everyone in any category can start getting vaccinated.”
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed a bill that protects businesses and houses of worship from legal liability for the distribution of Covid-19, as long as they take measures to comply with public health guidelines, and announced that he does not have the mandate for the whole mask will not lengthen.
“The mask mandate will expire on Friday,” the governor said, adding: “Since we are not out of the woods yet, I will continue to wear a mask, and I will encourage all Montanians to do the same.”
However, the stadiums in New York must limit the capacity to 10%; they must ensure that all staff and spectators have received a negative Covid-19 PCR test within the last 72 hours; and they must provide face coverings and assigned, socially distant seats.
In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state would abandon its mandatory quarantine regime for people coming from a high-risk state. The policy change will be attributed to a “cautiously clearer pandemic outlook after several months of unsustainable strain on the state’s healthcare system.”
“It is absolutely essential that we continue to take steps beyond vaccination to keep it under control,” Besser said. “The more this virus may spread in our communities, the more we will see these variants spread.”
Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining for the time being
The CDC said a more transmissible variant first identified in the UK may prevail in the US in March, and that the spread of viruses could worsen.
However, the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths, and the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals, are for the time being declining after training during the holiday period:
Business: The U.S. averaged 104,304 new Covid-19 cases a day in the past week – a 58% drop from the country’s peak average of more than 249,800 on January 8, according to Johns Hopkins University data. .
– Hospitalizations: More than 76,900 Covid-19 patients were in U.S. hospitals on Wednesday, according to the COVID Tracking Project, the lowest total since Nov. 16. The number has been less than 100,000 for 12 days in a row.
Deaths: The country averaged 2,779 Covid-19 deaths a day in the past week – below the country’s peak average of 3,363 in mid-January, Johns Hopkins data shows.
The national test positivity – or the percentage of tests that turn out to be positive – is on average 6.49% according to the COVID Tracking Project.
This is lower than a winter peak of about 13.6% in early January. However, the World Health Organization has recommended that governments do not reopen until test positivity is 5% or lower for at least two weeks.
Which states are looking for variants
But only eight states genetically followed up more than 1% of their total Covid-19 cases during the pandemic – compared to the national average of just under 0.4%, according to CDC data.
These states include Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Eighteen states followed up less than 0.1% of their confirmed Covid-19 cases.
CDC: The second dose of vaccine may be administered later
Meanwhile, the CDC has also issued new guidelines on best practices for administering second-dose vaccines.
The Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines that have been approved for emergency use in the US are administered in two doses – 21 and 28 days respectively.
However, if it is not possible to meet the recommended intervals, the new CDC guideline states that the second dose “may be scheduled for administration up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose.”
The agency said Wednesday that people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 could skip quarantine if they are exposed to someone infected with the virus.
“People who are fully vaccinated and who meet the criteria no longer need to remain in quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19,” the CDC said.
This criterion: People must be fully vaccinated – both shots have been at least two weeks since the second shot.
But the agency added that the protection could expire after three months, so people who had their last shot three months ago or more should be quarantined if they are exposed, and that they should also be quarantined if they show symptoms.
“At the moment, vaccinators should continue to follow current guidelines to protect themselves and others, including wearing a mask, staying at least 6 meters away from others, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated areas, covering coughs and sneezing, hands are washed regularly, follow the CDC travel guidelines and follow any appropriate work or school guidance, ”the agency said.
CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Andy Rose, Michael Nedelman, Keri Enriquez, Jacqueline Howard, Ben Tinker, Jennifer Hauser and Brad Parks contributed to this report.