US coronavirus: ‘We walk in the mouth of the monster’ by relaxing restrictions, says expert

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a variant first identified in the UK was reported in 2,672 cases in 46 states as of Thursday. And it spreads fast.

“We are literally sitting there, at a time when, instead of being better prepared for it, we are going to open up and turn on the virus,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota .

“Right now, the (British variant) is pushing the United States,” Osterholm told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “A number of states have seen it go from 1 or 2% of the viruses identified, so far more than 20 to 30%.”
This week, Texas and Mississippi joined the list of states to mandate for citizens to wear masks and remove expanded capacity for businesses.

With the vaccination of most American adults by summer, support for virus protection measures is waning, according to a new survey.

Although less than a third of people said there should be fewer measures, support for additional restrictions has been declining since November, according to new research from the Pew Research Center.

Four sisters reunite in their 80s and 90s to get their Covid-19 vaccines together

But health experts say the road to herd immunity still has a long way to go, and that masks and other restrictions are still crucial to managing the pandemic.

A new CDC study shows ‘that masks work’, said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a Covid-19 briefing in the White House on Friday.

‘You have a decrease in cases and deaths if you wear masks, and you have an increase in cases and deaths if you personally eat in a restaurant, and therefore we will advocate for policy – certainly while we are at a high level are cases – that would listen to the science of public health, ‘Walensky said.

States vary from limitation to detachment

As the U.S. moves closer to widespread vaccinations, many states are changing their policies regarding Covid-19 restrictions.

In Maine, government Janet Mills said Friday the state will still need masks, but she announced a new framework to slowly reopen the state. By March 26, the capacity for indoor events in the state will increase to 50% and outdoor to 75%.

And in West Virginia, beginning Saturday, some businesses, including restaurants, bars, gyms and museums, could open with 100% seating, but social distance must still be required, Judge Jim Justice said Friday.

In Texas, any business will be allowed to open 100% from March 10, and the mandate for residents to wear masks has been lifted.

Not all state leaders feel comfortable with the changes.

“I am deeply concerned about states lifting the mask mandate, because what you are doing is sending a signal that it is no longer important, and that it is not true. In fact, it is just as important as ever,” he said. government of North Carolina said. Roy Cooper said.

“I want to encourage my fellow governors and local officials who make decisions in some states to maintain the mask mandate, set good examples, and continue to do responsible things.”

The mayor of Detroit refuses to award the vaccine to Johnson & Johnson

Many experts have celebrated the authorization of the third coronavirus vaccine: Johnson & Johnson’s, which is a single shot and stored at temperatures that are easier to transport and store.

Great apes in the San Diego Zoo receive a vaccine for animals from Covid-19

But there was some backlash.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday that the city has rejected the initial grant of the newly authorized vaccine.

Duggan turned down the shipment because the city is able to meet current demand with its supply of Pfizer / BioNTech and Modern vaccines – even though its administration on Thursday extended vaccinations to 50-year-old residents and older with chronic medical conditions.

All three vaccines are very effective in preventing Covid-19 serious diseases, and health officials have encouraged people to take any Covid-19 vaccine offered to them.

“The day may come in March or April when every Moderna and Pfizer is dedicated, and we still have people who need a vaccine. And at that point we will set up a Johnson & Johnson Center. I do not see it in the next few weeks, ‘Duggan said.

Vaccine CDC Guidelines

CDC guidance for people who have been vaccinated is coming soon, Walensky said. The lead is expected to be announced this week.

“Our goal and most importantly, is that people who have been vaccinated and those who have not yet been vaccinated can understand the steps they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones,” she said.

More than 82 million doses of vaccines have been distributed in the US, and after a year of life turned upside down, many want to know what the future holds.

“I think people need practical advice on how to deal with their everyday lives,” Julia Marcus, an epidemiologist at Infectious Disease, told Harvard. “I think people can make uninformed decisions without guidance.”

Although the guidelines do not give the vaccinated permission to start living again as in 2019, according to an official from Biden administration, the guidelines do offer hope that the end of total social isolation is near.

CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Jacqueline Howard, Kay Jones, Anjali Huynh, Amir Vera, Heather Law, Ganesh Setty and Jen Christensen contributed to this report.

.Source