US coronavirus: reducing Covid-19 cases is the best thing the US can do to improve the chances of vaccines continuing to work, says expert

US coronavirus: reducing Covid-19 cases is the best thing the US can do to improve the chances of vaccines continuing to work, says expert

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“The best thing we can possibly do to improve the chances that the vaccine will work as we hope it does is to reduce cases as much as possible without the reduction occurring due to immunity,” said Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and immunologist at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, said during a Tuesday event.

The United States on Tuesday reported more than 59,500 new cases of Covid-19 – far from the six-figure case they reported just a month ago. But experts warn that these infection rates are still high and that another boom could be seen if Americans let their hats down.

This is why measures such as masks and social distance still play a key role, because if the virus continues to circulate at high levels, it is likely to come into contact more frequently with people who have been vaccinated and try to infect, Mina said.

“The more opportunities we offer the virus to get in touch with someone who is immune, the greater the chance that the virus can find a way to find that level of immunity and antibodies,” Mina added.

Scientists have already identified several variants that are spreading in the US and are particularly concerned about the B.1.1.7 strain – an extremely contagious variant that was first detected in the UK. A study recently found that cases of the variant are increasing rapidly in the US, and that there is already a significant spread of the community.

More than 1,270 cases of the variant have been reported in 41 states and Washington DC, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC data show that about a third of the cases are in Florida.

But the agency said it probably does not represent the total number of cases nationwide and has recently been working on efforts to sharpen the genome sequence to identify variants.

Quest Diagnostics announced on Tuesday that it is also conducting sequencing tests to support the CDC’s efforts to detect mutations, adding that the company has already doubled the amount of genomic sequencing it began performing last month.

Fauci shifts vaccine timeline for Americans

The US also faces challenges on the vaccine front.

More than 39 million people have so far received at least the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. About 15 million people – about 4.5% of the U.S. population – have been completely vaccinated, according to the data.

Dr Anthony Fauci told CNN on Tuesday that it could now be mid – late May or early June before vaccines are available to the general public. This has shifted the timeline from previous estimates that spread widely at the end of April.

“It was based on the fact that (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) had significantly more doses than we now know,” Fauci said. “So, the timeline is likely to be extended to mid-May and early June.”

CNN has learned that if the Food Administration gets the green light, the effects of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be slower than officials initially expected.

The administration expects millions of doses for the vaccine to be single-digit if allowed for emergency use. However, due to incorrect communication over the production timeline, government officials thought the number would rise to between 20 and 30 million doses by April. But now they expect less than 20 million doses in April, an administration official told CNN.

Separately, President Joe Biden on Tuesday promised that by July July, 600 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine would be available for the country, “enough to vaccinate every American.”

The president’s promise follows his announcement earlier this month that the U.S. will have enough vaccines for 300 million Americans by the end of July, with the help of additional vaccine purchases the government has made at Pfizer and Moderna.
“What is going to happen is that it will continue to increase as we move further. We will have reached 400 million doses by the end of May and 600 million by the end of July,” Biden said during a CNN City Hall event.

More vaccine challenges: inequality, weather and shortages

Among the other problems the US is trying to overcome are inequality in vaccine distribution, icy weather and a shortage.

New York officials said Tuesday that they are working to combat the difference in vaccines against Covid-19, and to combat efforts aimed at reaching out to some of the region’s hardest-hit communities.

But newly released data shows ‘the extent of the challenge before us’, said dr. Torian Easterling, the first deputy commissioner and chief official of the city’s health department, said.

“There’s a much smaller portion of the vaccines that go to Black and Brown New Yorkers. We’ve also seen these geographical differences turn out,” Easterling said, adding that the South Bronx, parts of Central Queens and Central Brooklyn, are lagging behind. vaccinations.

Cities and states slow down Covid-19 vaccine distribution due to winter storms
Meanwhile, the severe winter storms that unleashed icy and dangerous weather conditions have now delayed vaccinations across the country.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said Tuesday that vaccination of vaccines delivered directly from Pfizer and Moderna to state suppliers could be delayed by one or two days due to the weather. In Georgia, health officials have said they also expect delays in the arrival of vaccines, and that many providers and health departments are being forced to resume vaccination appointments.

In some parts of the country, supply problems are slowing down.

State officials said in a news release that the Beaumont Health system in Michigan had canceled more than 1880 appointments for second doses scheduled for Thursday.

“The health system is working to automatically reschedule all canceled appointments until one week later at the same time and on the same day of the week, as long as the state delivers enough vaccine,” the statement said. “Beaumont is also seeking more clarity on the state’s much-needed second doses.”

Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services in Michigan, said the state worked with Beaumont Health last week to reconcile its second-dose deficiency, adding that it was’ unfortunate that they chose to cancel the second dose of appointments while we continue to work. with them on this issue. ‘

CNN’s Amanda Sealy, Kaitlan Collins, Maggie Fox, Chris Boyette, Rebekah Riess, Amanda Watts, Sara Murray, Naomi Thomas and Michael Nedelman contributed to this report.

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