Patrons Sari and Peter Melendez enjoy lunch at Katz’s Delicatessen, the famous deli founded in 1888, on the first day of returning to indoor eateries for New York City during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in New York York, February 12th. , 2021.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
The easing of mask mandates and the reopening of restaurants have led to an increase in Covid-19 cases and deaths, according to a new study by the CDC that comes as the agency urges countries not to aggressively lift health restrictions .
According to the study, which examined rural data between last March and December, mask mandates implemented by local governments could slow the spread of the virus, about 20 days after its implementation.
“The admission of restaurant owners is associated with an increase in daily COVID-19 growth rates 41-100 days after implementation and an increase in the daily mortality rate 61-100 days after implementation,” write the researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention. “Masking and restricting any meals at restaurants can help reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in the community and reduce the growth rates of cases and deaths.”
The study found that mask needs are associated with a decrease of more than 1 percentage point in the daily growth rate of Covid-19 cases and deaths 20 days after its implementation. Dining at restaurants was associated with an increase of 0.9, 1.2 and 1.1 percentage points in the case of the growth rate 41-60, 61 to 80 and 81 to 100 days respectively after restrictions were lifted, according to the study.
The researchers added that these measures would be important to prevent coronavirus variants that are highly transmissible from spreading incessantly, which could cause more cases, hospitalizations and deaths, medical experts warned.
‘This report is a critical reminder that with the current levels of Covid-19 in communities, and the continuing spread of more transmissible virus variants, now detected in 48 states, strict prevention measures remain necessary to put an end to this. pandemic, “Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, told a White House Covid-19 press conference on Friday.
“It also serves as a warning about the premature lifting of these preventative measures,” Walensky said.
U.S. health officials have repeatedly warned in recent times that the emergence of the new variant, particularly the strain first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, will reverse the country’s success.
The U.S. reports a daily average of about 62,950 new cases over the past week, a significant drop from the peak of nearly 250,000 daily cases the U.S. reported in January, according to a CNBC analysis of data released by the U.S. Johns Hopkins University was established.
However, the decline in cases has since lost steam, but a worrying trend that has left infections at an alarmingly high level, which could bounce back if the variants are allowed, could warn them, warn top health officials.
“There is a light at the end of this tunnel, but we must be prepared that the road ahead may not be smooth,” Walensky said.
Some states have in any case continued to reopen their economies, despite pleas from the Biden administration, including White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, that local leaders have to wait a few more weeks until things show signs again and more vaccines are administered. .
“I do not know why they do it, but it is definitely unpleasant from the point of view of public health,” Fauci told CNN on Wednesday when asked about states lifting their Covid restrictions. The scene is reminiscent of last summer when states began to restrict too quickly, followed by an increase in cases in the U.S. Sun Belt.
“What we do not need now is another boom,” Fauci said.
Texas, Mississippi and Connecticut moved this week to get businesses back on their feet at full capacity in their states. Both Texas and Mississippi have also decided to lift their nationwide mask mandates, though state governors have said residents should keep their faces covered.
On Thursday, the Alabama government, Kay Ivey, announced that it would lift its masking mandate from April 9, saying it was the right thing to do, but she respected those “who object and believe it is a step too far.” is in government supremacy. “