(CNN) While Covid-19 numbers are heading in the right direction in the big direction, officials nationwide have warned against Super Bowl rallies to prevent another surge of infections.
“While the instinct may be to celebrate together, we can not get cranky,” New York Government Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Saturday. “We need to continue with the things we know can tame the virus effectively: wear a mask, keep social distance and avoid gatherings.”
“We can beat this thing, but we have to stay smart,” he added.
The warnings come from all corners of the country ahead of the big game on Sunday, with local and state leaders reminding Americans that despite the hopeful signs of a decline in the number of new cases and hospitalizations, it is not time to put their guards in the stitch too late.
This is because experts have made it clear that the US is still not out of the woods. Thousands of Americans are still losing their lives to the virus every day. And the detection of several Covid-19 variants now presents new challenges.
“When people gather near private homes, it is one of the most effective ways to spread this disease,” said Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of public health in Kentucky, said last week. “We can not afford for the disease to be spread now with these mutations and these variants.”
As Florida prepares for the Super Bowl, both cases and hospitalizations across the state have steadily declined over the past month. Health officials on Saturday reported more than 7,400 new cases of Covid-19 and more than 140 new deaths related to viruses.
But with thousands of new infections still being reported daily, the state Department of Health has urged residents to consider safer options for Sunday, including hosting a virtual Super Bowl viewing party or the outdoor event, where viewers six feet apart can sit.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading expert on infectious diseases, told MSNBC on Friday “there will be other Super Bowls in the future” for Americans to resume their traditional celebrations.
“Enjoy the Super Bowl, but do not do it with a large crowd of people in your house, in a place where it is cold and you are not well ventilated. It is a perfect setting for a mini-super-spreader- opportunity, “he said.
Fans walk along the riverwalk in preparation for Super Bowl LV on February 6, 2021 in Tampa, Florida
Why cases may tend
The dip in U.S. Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations comes after several brutal months in which there were regularly bad records in the numbers.
But now the country has recorded its eighth consecutive day with less than 100,000 Covid-19 hospitalizations, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. It comes a month after the US reached its highest Covid-19 hospitalization numbers: more than 132,400 Americans were hospitalized with the virus on January 6, according to the project.
The nationwide seven-day average of new cases also looks quite different from a month ago: on January 6, the country averaged more than 220,000 new cases daily. On Saturday, the seven days averaged more than 120,000 new cases daily.
According to Fauci, the background to the decline is probably that the natural flow of numbers has risen rapidly since the holidays and is now stabilizing, along with more Americans taking safety precautions.
“This is what I think is going on: a combination of the natural high point, as well as people doubling public health measures,” Fauci told MSNBC on Friday.
And while many parts of the country have weakened restrictions amid the decline in their numbers, others are doubling their security measures.
Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer told CNN on Saturday the province is still a way away from indoor dining. The province, which has struggled with a crippling Covid-19 crisis, recently announced that restaurants with restrictions could reopen for outdoor dining.
“The virus can be transmitted really easily if you do not have to cover a face, so if you are indoors to eat or drink and need to cover your face, this is the perfect environment to transmit this virus,” Ferrer said. said.
In New Orleans, several bars were closed after Covid-19 restrictions were not met, officials said Saturday.
“Yesterday we spoke directly to the pubs who are still violating the guidelines that this administration has put in place to protect our residents,” Peter Bowen, deputy head of the city’s office for business and external services, said in a statement.
“We said we know who you are, what you do and how you try to hide what you do, and what we will do if you continue,” Bowen added in his statement. “That’s what we mean, and we’m not done yet.”
More than 30 million Americans received the first dose of vaccine
Meanwhile, more than 30 million Americans received at least their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC data show that more than 8 million Americans have both received their vaccine doses.
In some parts of the country, local leaders have begun to focus on improving the accessibility of vaccines to underserved and vulnerable communities.
In Houston, government officials have called for more doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to be sent to local hospitals that reach the communities.
“You can have the best health care in the world, but if people do not have access to it, it’s like you do not have it at all,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told a news conference on Saturday.
Local leaders have said that some hospitals that are open to uninsured people receive a smaller percentage of doses than private hospitals, but 88% of the doses they give are to people of color.
“If you want to tackle inequality, you have to send the doses to the places that reach the regions,” Turner said.
In the northeast, another challenge: weather.
A massive winter storm that hit the region last week disrupted vaccine efforts in several states and on Saturday Cuomo announced that some vaccination sites in New York would halt operations Sunday “due to the impending winter storm”.
“New Yorkers who receive test or vaccination appointments in these areas will be notified of these suspensions by text message and telephone. Appointments will be scheduled later in the week,” a governor’s news release said.
Elizabeth Joseph, Andy Rose, Kay Jones, Hollie Silverman, Lauren Mascarenhas, Melissa Alonso and Rebekah Riess of CNN contributed to this report.