WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Coronavirus deaths and cases per day in the US have dropped significantly in recent weeks, but are still at alarmingly high levels, and efforts to eradicate COVID-19 are becoming a more urgent race between the vaccine and the mutation virus.
According to the government’s top expert on infectious diseases, dr. Anthony Fauci, it seems that the improvement in numbers across the country reflects a ‘natural peak and then plateau’ after a holiday boom, rather than the advent of the vaccine in mid-December.
The U.S. averages just under 3,100 deaths a day, down from more than 3,350 less than two weeks ago. New cases average about 170,000 a day after reaching a peak of almost 250,000 on January 11th. The number of COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital dropped to about 110,000 from a peak of 132,000 on January 7th.
States that have been an important location in recent weeks, such as California and Arizona, have shown similar improvements over the same period.
On Monday, California lifted local home orders in favor of provincial restrictions and ended a curfew at 10 p.m. The move will allow restaurants and churches to resume outdoor activities and reopen hair and nail salons in many places, although local officials may enforce stricter rules.
Elsewhere, Minnesota districts began bringing back elementary students for personal learning. Chicago’s school system, the third largest district in the state, had hoped to bring teachers back Monday to prepare for the return of students next month, but the teachers’ union refused. Illinois has announced that more provinces will be able to offer limited indoor dining.
“I do not think the dynamics of what we are seeing with the plateaus now are still significantly affected – it will be soon – but still by the vaccine. I just think it’s the natural course of plateaus,” Fauci told NBC’s ” Today “said. . “
Ali Mokdad, a professor of health sciences at the University of Washington, said a predicted holiday boom was reduced by people traveling less than expected, and that an increase in mask wear due to infection spikes has contributed to it since then. has.
Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety, said too few people have been vaccinated so far to have a significant impact on viral trends. She said she could not predict how long it would take before the effects of the vaccines were reflected in the numbers.
Rivers said she was concerned that the more contagious variant of the virus could lead to a deadly revival later this year.
“I think we were on course to have a good – or a better, at least – spring and summer, and I’m worried that the variant might give us a bow ball,” she said.
Nationwide, about 18 million people, or less than 6% of the U.S. population, have received at least one dose of vaccine, including about 3 million who received the second shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Only more than half of the 41 million doses distributed by the federal government to the states were injected into weapons, according to the CDC.
The virus has killed more than 419,000 Americans and infected more than 25 million, with a commonly cited Washington University model predicting the death toll would reach about 569,000 by May 1st.
And health experts have warned that the more contagious and potentially deadly variant flushing through Britain is likely to become the dominant source of infection in the US in March. It has so far been reported in more than 20 states. Another mutant version is circulating in South Africa.
The more the virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to mutate. The fear is that it will eventually make the vaccines ineffective.
To guard against the new variant, President Joe Biden on Monday added South Africa to the list of more than two dozen countries whose residents are subject to coronavirus-related restrictions to enter the US.
Most non-US citizens who have been to Brazil, Ireland, Britain and other European countries will be barred from entering the US under the rules that Biden reintroduced after President Donald Trump moved to slacken them.
According to Fauci, scientists are already adapting COVID-19 vaccines to fight the mutated versions.
He said there was a “slight, modest reduction” in the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against the variants, but “there is enough cushion with the vaccines we can have that we still consider them effective” against both.
Moderna, the manufacturer of one of the two vaccines used in the USA, announced on Monday that it is starting to test a possible booster dose against the South African variant. Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said it was not a great deal of caution.
The vaccine explosion in the U.S. has been marked by disorder and confusion, and states have complained in recent days about shortages and inadequate deliveries that have forced them to cancel mass vaccination events and tens of thousands of appointments.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says shortages are preventing the city from opening more large-scale vaccination sites.
“Here you have the city of New York ready to vaccinate at half a million New Yorkers a week, but we do not have the vaccine to go with it,” de Blasio said. “Many other places in the country are ready to do so much more.”
Associated Press writers across the U.S. contributed to this report.
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