American Coronavirus: In the race between Covid-19 vaccines and the virus, hesitation gives dangerous variants an advantage, says expert

American Coronavirus: In the race between Covid-19 vaccines and the virus, hesitation gives dangerous variants an advantage, says expert

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“I’m worried that we’re starting to get to the point – which we always knew existed somewhere on the horizon – where supply levels would exceed demand,” said Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist, told CNN on Sunday.

Now, El-Sayed has said officials need to focus on sending important messages to the population about why the vaccines are safe, effective and ‘absolutely essential’. Experts, including dr. Anthony Fauci, estimated that between 70% and 85% of the population must be immune – either through vaccination or from previous infection – to control the virus.

It is therefore critical to continue building the country now and to overcome obstacles such as hesitation, experts say, especially with regard to the variants that are spreading in the USA.

A quarter of Americans are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, says CDC
“As we slow down – if we slow down – due to (vaccine) hesitation, it gives more and more time for variants of concern, specifically B.1.1.7 that have devastated states like Michigan, to continue to spread and sets potential new momentum in local communities, ”said El-Sayed.

“It has always been a race between the vaccines and the variants, and the hesitation only slows down the vaccine,” he added.

According to data from the CDC, the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant, first spotted in the UK, has been reported in all 50 US states. It is now the dominant coronavirus strain in the country.

Expert urges young people to be vaccinated

Some experts are also beginning to express concern about younger groups and how likely it is to be vaccinated against the virus.

According to a new survey from Quinnipiac University, 36% of adults under the age of 35 said they did not intend to get a Covid-19 vaccine – a result that is repeated time and time again in the survey data.
Younger Americans Probably Won't Vaccinate

Dr Jayne Morgan, the clinical director of the Piedmont Healthcare Covid Task Force in Atlanta, told CNN on Sunday that she was concerned about how the virus is currently affecting younger groups.

A large portion of the country’s 65+ population – who were given priority to vaccines before younger Americans – have already been vaccinated and now officials are seeing a shift in the demographics of Covid-19 cases “to a younger and younger age group” . Morgan said.

“We need to start getting serious about this,” she said.

CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky also recently said that the increase in Covid-19 cases and emergency visits to the U.S. is mainly among younger adults, “most of whom have not yet been vaccinated.”

And Michigan officials, who are in the midst of another violent upsurge, also said their hospitals are filling up with younger residents.

“It really does occur in all of our ERs and honestly in our inpatient units,” Beaumont Health CEO John Fox told CNN on Saturday. “We are treating younger patients than we have ever seen before.”

A healthcare worker fills a syringe with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in Blandon, Pennsylvania on April 14, 2021.

US awaits decision on J&J shot

Meanwhile, the country is awaiting an important decision as officials work to get as many shots into weapons as possible.

CDC Vaccine Advisers Postpone Decision on Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine
CDC and Food and Drug Administration officials last week recommended a halt to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine over six reported U.S. cases of a ‘rare and serious’ type of blood clot, including more than 6.8 million Americans who had the shot took.

Vaccination advisers from the CDC, who had previously postponed a decision to seek more information, will meet again on April 23 to discuss whether the J&J vaccine causes blood clots and, if so, what to do about it.

Fauci told CNN on Sunday that he expected a decision on the J&J vaccine to be made by that time.

“I do not want to come before the CDC and the FDA and the advisory committee, but I would imagine that what we will see is that it would come back and it would come back in some warning or restriction,” Fauci said.

If you have recently had the J&J vaccine, take note of these rare symptoms, says CDC

“I think we will get it back somehow,” he added. “But as far as I’m sure, I hope we will not see anything beyond Friday. We have to decide on Friday somehow. ‘

Fauci – like other health officials – said the interruption was important so that experts could gather all the necessary information to help their decision.

“I think just assuming on the basis of six (cases) that you know everything that goes on with this, I think I would not be wise,” Fauci said. “That’s why they’re taking a break.”

CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Maggie Fox and Harry Enten contributed to this report.

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