Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, Covid-19 data director at the White House, celebrated with a tweet early Saturday afternoon.
“Wow a record reporting day !! + 4.08 million doses administered over the total yesterday,” Shahpar wrote.
“First day w / 4 million or more. Also the first time averaging more than 3 million per day during the past week. Millions have come together to accelerate our progress in controlling the pandemic!”
It’s almost 109 days since the first Covid-19 vaccine shot was given in the US, and 104 million people have since received at least one dose, the agency said. More than 59 million of them have been fully vaccinated.
More than 161 million doses have been administered in the US, according to the agency’s data published on Saturday.
That is 4,081,959 doses administered since Friday – an average of seven days of 3,072,527 doses per day. Data published by the CDC may be delayed, and doses may not have been given on the day it was reported.
Warning is encouraged as CDC states that vaccinated people are at low risk while traveling
The CDC believes that someone was completely vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
And while progress is being made with President Joe Biden saying on Friday that a record 20 million doses of vaccine have been administered this week, health experts warn that more progress is needed before all Americans can consider fighting the pandemic.
The CDC still recommends anyone who has not received the vaccine to avoid travel. Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said she was still concerned about the pandemic and was advising completely non-essential travel.
“I am still concerned that 80% of the population that has not been vaccinated still has a lot of work to do to control this pandemic,” Walensky said.
The transportation security administration on Friday screened 1,580,785 people at airports, surpassing last Sunday’s record during the 1.57 million passenger pandemic, according to the agency.
Friday was the 23rd consecutive day with more than one million air travelers, especially during the spring break.
Update CDC guidelines as science evolves
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will continue to monitor Covid-19 data and update its travel guidelines as science develops, Walensky said during a virtual briefing in the White House on Friday.
“The science on Covid-19 is constantly evolving. We will continue to monitor the evidence and offer updates as we learn more. With so many people unvaccinated, it’s important that everyone – “regardless of the vaccination status – continue to prevent” measures in public and keep our guidelines on ways to reduce the spread of Covid-19, “Walensky said.” Wear a mask, social distance, avoid crowds and spaces that are poorly ventilated. is, and wash your hands frequently. “
New guidelines were also introduced for cruise ships on Friday. The CDC, which used to be the outbreak of the virus, has to conduct training sessions with volunteers before taking on paying customers.
Cruise ship operators will have to report cases of coronavirus daily, instead of weekly, the CDC says in the new guidance. They must also make the vaccination of crew and port staff part of their plans.
States expand suitability, for fear of a boom
CNN medical analyst Leana Wen said she feared a fourth increase in the virus in the U.S. because states were lifting precautions and variants were still spreading. And some state leaders share her concern.
“It’s clear that the fourth outbreak of this virus in Oregon and across the country is imminent,” said Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. “While Oregon’s numbers fortunately do not match those of other states that see big nails, our numbers are rising.”
“I know we’re all fed up with a pandemic, physical distance and wearing a mask, but we’re in the last few miles of the marathon,” Brown said.
And with cases increasing in Vermont, dr. Mark Levine, state health commissioner, said he was “very concerned” that hospitalizations and deaths would follow.
With the increase in cases in West Virginia, the state has expanded the Covid-19 vaccinations for all residents ages 16 and older, Judge Jim Justice said Friday.
Alabama will also expand access to vaccines for all 16 and older residents from April 5, Gov. Kay Ivey said Friday.
“Truly, this vaccine is our ticket to normal life. We are so close to making Covid-19 go backwards, and until then we must all wear our masks, be vaccinated and the common sense that the good Lord has given us , used., “the governor said in a press release.
In fact, dr. Anthony Fauci said on Saturday that people should continue to wear masks – even if more Americans are vaccinated – until science shows otherwise.
“It is likely that if you are vaccinated, that you will not spread the infection, if you become infected without any symptoms. There is no doubt about it,” Fauci said in a Fox News interview. “There are studies coming online now that are definitely going to prove it.”
He added: “This is why we say if this happens we will retract the recommendation to say that people who are vaccinated should continue to wear masks. You want to be conservative to say, wait until our data where we can definitely prove it. ‘
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there are variables that make it difficult to say if and when Americans will be able to relax if they wear masks.
“If we get a big increase and we have a continuation of an increase in the number of cases, it is possible that we will have to wear masks in 2022,” he said. “But if we continue to get people vaccinated, and we get the overwhelming majority of people along with those who are infected and the level of infection drops, we probably won’t have to.”
Michigan distribution may predict what will come elsewhere
Michigan reported 8,413 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, which, according to the state health department, stands at 692,206. The number of cases reported is the highest the state has reported since December 7, 2020.
The current surge of coronavirus cases in Michigan and parts of Canada could predict what will happen elsewhere in the U.S. as people move around more and spread an infectious viral variant, one expert who modeled the pandemic said Saturday.
Michigan on Saturday reported 8,413 new cases of Covid-19, which according to the state health department stands at 692,206. The number of cases reported is the highest the state has reported since December 7, 2020.
Population health professor Ali Mokdad of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said the B.1.1.7 variant first seen in Britain is more easily transmitted, fueling the spread, but also people’s behavior.
“B.1.1.7 is developing in the northern states of the USA and Canada. The rapid increase in cases seen in Michigan may be an indication of what may be happening in other parts of the USA and Canada, “Mokdad said via Twitter.
“Cases and deaths are on the rise in Europe despite extensive social distancing mandates, slow vaccination rates and reduced mobility,” Mokdad tweeted.
On Thursday, the IHME raised its estimate of how many people are likely to die from coronavirus in the U.S. by July 1, from 600,000 in last week’s forecast.
The proliferation of new variants could partly be blamed, but also the relaxation of social distance and mask mandates, the IHME said.
“Too rapid reopening, well documented in the rapid increase in mobility in the US, increases the risk of a surge in April / May, despite the rapid increase in vaccination,” Mokdad tweeted.
“The course of the pandemic requires stronger preventive measures and depends on the behavioral response in terms of vaccine confidence, mask wearing and avoidance of situations that pose a high risk of transmission.”
2 600 cases of a rare condition in young children
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, serious diseases due to Covid-19 are still very rare among children.
Of the 2,617 cases, 33 children died with MIS-C.
Symptoms usually include breathing problems, stomach problems, heart problems, lesions in the mucous membranes (such as in the mouth), skin problems and extreme inflammation.
The number of cases increased in December, but it started to decrease in March. Another 557 cases have been reported since February 8.
Scientists still have many questions as to why some children develop MIS-C after being exposed to, or being exposed to, Covid-19. MIS-C cases are detected in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Washington DC. Additional issues are being investigated.
CNN’s Maggie Fox, Chuck Johnston, Lauren Mascarenhas, Deidre McPhillips, Maegan Vazquez, Jacqueline Howard, Chris Boyette, Anjali Huynh, Jen Christensen, Heather Law and Gregory Lemos contributed to this report.