WASHINGTON – Michael Osterholm, a leading epidemiologist advising President Joe Biden’s transition team on the coronavirus pandemic, said on Sunday that the US should “make an audible call” with its vaccination program, with the priority of giving a single dose to as many people as possibly before a probable increase in cases attributed to more infectious mutations of the virus.
Osterholm, director of the Center for Research and Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told Meet the Press that he expects to see a new rise in infections ‘in the next six to 14 weeks’ , thanks to the proliferation of new varieties as first discovered in the UK. Looking at an increase in hospitalizations in the UK during the spread of this new variant, he predicted that an increase in the US would usher in ‘something like we have not seen in this country’. ‘
‘We still want to get two doses in everyone, but I think, before this increase, we should get as many single doses in as many as 65 people as possible, to reduce serious illnesses and deaths. will take place over the coming weeks, ”said Osterholm.
Currently, the two coronavirus vaccines approved for emergency use require two doses spread over several weeks, but studies show that after just one dose, the vaccines provide significant protection. A Johnson & Johnson vaccine candidate, which could be approved in the coming weeks, requires only one dose.
Olsterholm compares the current situation to the detection of a hurricane.
“The hurricane is coming. “Because of this boom, we need an audible link,” he said.
“If we get a number of first doses in people, especially those aged 65 and older, we can really do a lot to reduce the number of serious illnesses and deaths in this next big boom, which is coming.”
The number of daily cases of coronavirus has decreased in recent days. After an eclipse of 200,000 new cases in 15 or 16 days in early January, the U.S. has been reporting under 200,000 new cases every day since January 18, according to an NBC News analysis. But over the past day, new, daily deaths have almost reached a peak, darkening 3,600 in four of the last five days.
According to NBC News’ vaccination survey, more than thirty million vaccinations have been applied in America so far.
President Joe Biden, even before his inauguration, announced a goal to vaccinate 100 million people in 100 days. But America has been catching up in the last days of the Trump administration, and last week Biden said he believed America could soon inflict 1.5 million vaccinations every day, a rate that Bloomberg says has reached three times in the past week is.
Nevertheless, vaccine deployment has been chaotic at times, with states reporting shortages and many Americans expressing frustration over availability in their communities. Public health officials are hopeful that new vaccines, such as those developed by Johnson & Johnson, coupled with more production of currently available shots, could help speed up the distribution process.