Michigan is ‘on fire’
The increase in Michigan is a combination of two factors, Gounder says: the spread of the B.1.1.7 variant combined with people relaxing on mitigation measures before enough residents are vaccinated.
That’s why: it takes about two weeks after the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna and about two weeks after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine before humans are immune, she said. Meanwhile, Gounder added: “the incubation period, that is, the time from when you are exposed to when you are infected with coronavirus, is four to five days.”
“So there is no way that a surge in vaccination will help combat it now that transmission is taking place,” she said. “The hard truth is that the only thing that will currently halt the transfer are measures that take effect immediately.” For example, she masked, did not eat indoors and hung out outside.
“Hospitals are flooded,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, told CNN. “Michigan must close.”
But he added that the government should send more vaccines to the state.
“Think of it this way: every year during the fire season, when forest fires get out of control, we not only leave the states to manage as well as possible. We deploy firefighting forces in those states. So Michigan is on fire now. we have to put it out, ‘he said.
Other state leaders scared
But it’s not just Michigan.
Ohio State Attorney Mike DeWine said the state is seeing increasing cases of Covid-19, hospitalizations and admissions to the ICU, and urged residents to be vaccinated to avoid a new upsurge.
“It’s a race,” he said. “We’re in a race. And it’s a life-and-death race.”
Last week, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also expressed concern about the consistently high Covid-19 case numbers and what lies ahead.
“That’s why we continue to maintain things like our mandate over the whole mask, especially for indoor activities where we know the transfer is more likely,” Murphy said. “That’s also why we’ve aggressively increased our vaccine timeframe.”
The US must address the hesitation of vaccines, says expert
Some experts believe that the US could defeat another potential boom in the coming weeks if Americans last a little longer and continue to take security measures while more of the population is vaccinated against the virus.
“The way to do that is to vaccinate like crazy,” he said.
But there are challenges ahead.
“The last 20 to 30% is going to be the most difficult because a lot of people in this country are still hesitant to get the vaccine. We see it all over the country,” Reiner said. “We really need to climb to grassroots level, talk to people about their hesitation and get shots in the arms.”
“Because if we do not vaccinate the last 30% or so, we will have to live with this virus for a very long time.”
Anna Sturla of CNN contributed to this report.