US Coronavirus: It’s very risky for states to ease Covid-19 restrictions at the moment, experts warn

US Coronavirus: It’s very risky for states to ease Covid-19 restrictions at the moment, experts warn

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“We … see what happens in other countries when these variants take over,” the emergency physician said Dr Leana Wen told CNN Monday night. “There is (an) explosive upsurge, even when the countries are basically closed.”

Wen, who is a former Baltimore City health commissioner, added that the U.S. “faces something potentially catastrophic, and that we need to double the measures we know.”

More than 690 cases of Covid-19 variants first spotted in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the US, according to the CDC data updated on Sunday.

Wen’s comments follow the announcements of various state leaders about the easing of Covid-19 security measures.

The North Dakota government, Doug Burgum, announced last month that the nationwide mask mandate may expire, and told CNN last week that he was not worried that the Covid-19 numbers would rise. In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed an executive order terminating all mask requirements, collecting restrictions and other public health emergencies, while urging residents to follow the recommended safety guidelines.
And the New York government, Andrew Cuomo, on Monday announced indoor eateries in New York to go back to 25% on February 12th.
Even amid a dip in Covid-19 cases and nationwide hospitalizations, easing restrictions is now ‘incredibly risky’, Drs. Richard Besser, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said.

“It is absolutely essential that we continue to take steps beyond vaccination to keep it under control,” Besser said. “The reason for that is that the more this virus may spread in our communities, the more we are going to see these variants spread.”

“And if the vaccines are not as effective against some of these variants, then we can see the gains we are so excited about right now, we can see reversed in a very short time.”

Vaccines are still challenging

To date, more than 32 million Americans have received at least their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. More than 9.5 million people received both doses, the data show.

And while officials have expressed optimism that vaccinations will continue to increase in the coming weeks, local and state leaders continue to face challenges, including the number of doses they have available, and to ensure equitable access to vaccinations.

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Los Angeles County health officials have announced that the county will only offer appointments for second doses of the vaccine from Tuesday due to a shortage of supplies.

“Planning an appointment is currently difficult due to the limited amount of vaccines the country receives weekly,” health officials said in a news release. This will last the rest of the week.

The move comes in order to “ensure we have enough doses to guarantee a second dose for people who received the first one,” Barbara Ferrer, director of public health in Los Angeles, said during a news conference.

In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear said in a statement Monday that the state will provide demographic data each week on where the doses of vaccines are, so that they can be “held accountable” for fair access.

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“Black and African American Kentuckians have so far received about 4.3% of the vaccinations where we know the person’s race. This is unacceptable,” the governor said.

“About 1.1% of the vaccines, where ethnicity is known, have gone to our Spanish population – also too low,” he added in a statement.

For Americans who have been fully vaccinated, there may be more guidelines on what they should and should not do, said Dr. Anthony Fauci said during a meeting Monday.

“According to existing guidelines, you still have to wear a mask, you still have to give up social distance, but I believe that is going to change,” Fauci said. “We are talking about this at the level of the CDC.”

What travel can look like

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNN on Monday that the CDC is also examining all its options, after being asked if a measure could soon be put in place that would test Covid-19 before domestic flights.
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“What we do know is that this is the appropriate measure for international travel. People traveling to the US consider some of the considerations. You know the local picture is very different, but you know that the CDC always evaluates what works best. can be done to keep Americans safe, ”Buttigieg said.

Asked if he supported the idea of ​​providing evidence of a Covid-19 pre-flight vaccination, Buttigieg said it belonged to the CDC.

“This is not a step that has been taken, and again the CDC is really deciding what the right measures are going to be,” Buttigieg said. ‘At the moment, the focus, especially at a time when most Americans have not yet had a vaccine, and have not had access to a vaccine, is to ensure that we, while issuing the vaccinations to all what we can, ‘we also maintain the measures we know are available and that work, such as wearing a mask. ‘

More than 2.9 million children had Covid-19

Meanwhile, a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association said that more than 2.9 million children have tested positive for the virus since the onset of the pandemic.
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Covid-19 cases in children represent nearly 13% of all U.S. cases, the report added.

In the week between January 28 and February 4, more than 117,000 new childhood infections were recorded, the report added, while in the two weeks to February 4, there was a 10% increase in Covid-19 cases in children.

Serious illnesses due to the virus remain rare among children, the report said.

“However, there is an urgent need to gather more information on the long – term impact of the pandemic on children, including ways in which the virus can harm the long – term physical health of infected children, as well as its consequences for emotional and mental health,” “it added.

CNN’s Jamiel Lynch, Jen Christensen, Andrea Diaz, Lauren Mascarenhas, Rebekah Riess, Sarah Moon, Steve Almasy, Brian Vitagliano, Hollie Silverman and Haley Brink contributed to this report.

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