B117, the coronavirus variant first detected in the UK in December, is now the most common variant in the United States, according to Rochelle Walensky, MD, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Walensky made the announcement today during the White House press briefing on the pandemic. She said the variant was behind the recent increase in cases, in which the United States sees an average of 63,000 new cases every day.
Young adults, children in youth sports and people associated with day care centers are among the new cases, Walensky said. It is likely that these populations have not yet been vaccinated, but that they may take more risks as states reduce restrictions.
Popular places appear in Michigan, New York
According to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker, the United States reported 61,775 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and 915 deaths. A total of 30,876,041 cases were confirmed in the United States, including 558,626 deaths.
An analysis by the Associated Press of Johns Hopkins data shows that only five states – New York, Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey – responsible for 44% of the country’s new COVID-19 infections in the latest available 7-day period.
In Michigan in particular, there is a rising number of cases, which is now being followed by rising hospitalization rates. State hospitals are at their highest point since December and are powered by a younger, non-vaccinated population, reports Michigan Radio.
Michigan officials said the B117 variant has spread like wildfire across the state and appears to be causing major outbreaks among unvaccinated adults. Vaccines are responsible for 4.6 cases per 100,000 [residents] in Michigan, compared to 345 cases per 100,000 among non-vaccinated.
Michigan follows Florida as the state with the most B117 cases, according to the CDC. Wisconsin, California and Colorado also have significant levels of the variant.
White House calls on seniors to be vaccinated now
On the heels of President Biden’s announcement yesterday that all Americans over the age of 18 will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines on April 19, Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the COVID response in the White House, said those aged 65 and over older, encouraged to get their vaccinations now.
Currently, Slavitt said 75% of Americans aged 65 or older received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 55% were fully vaccinated.
The CDC COVID Data Tracker shows that 225,294,435 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were delivered in the US, and 171,476,655 were administered, and 64,422,618 Americans were fully vaccinated. Overall, the country averages about 3.1 million shots a day.
80% of teachers have been vaccinated
Yesterday, the CDC announced that nearly 80% of teachers, school staff and child care workers across the country had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine after a push in March, led by President Biden, to vaccinate teachers as a way to open schools for personal learning.
“We are pushing to ensure that teachers, school staff and childcare workers are vaccinated during March, have borne fruit and paved the way for safer pupils,” Walensky said in a press release. “CDC will build on the success of this program and continue to work with our partners to expand our vaccination efforts as we work to ensure confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.”
According to the CDC, more than 2 million teachers and staff were vaccinated during the month of March through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, and another 5 to 6 million were vaccinated through their state programs by the end of March.
In February, a new survey showed that only 46% of public schools offered personal pupils 5 days a week, and only 34% of students taught full-time in the classroom, according to the Associated Press.