The latest forecast from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be between 405,000 and 438,000 deaths by the end of the month. The previous forecast, published on December 30, predicted 424,000 deaths on January 23.
U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Thursday that states capable of vaccinating beyond Phase 1a recommendations – which include health care workers and residents of long-term care institutions – should do so.
Adams’ comments were repeated by dr. Kentucky Health Commissioner Steven Stack, who said Thursday that adherence to the guidelines of who should be prioritized before the vaccine should not stand in the way of “facilities with all the doses they receive.
“Sometimes more than 30% of eligible people refuse to receive the vaccine when it is offered,” Stack said. “There must be flexibility, otherwise we can not administer the vaccine.”
“A shot in a willing arm is ultimately a higher priority than a shot in only certain arms,” he added. “We prioritize, but concentrate on not putting vaccines in a freezer for a long time, where it does not help anyone.”
The US has “too much hampered” on vaccine expectations, says health official
Nearly 6 million people received their first dose of coronavirus vaccines, the CDC said, and another 21.4 million doses were distributed.
This is far less than promised: officials with the federal government’s Warp Speed operation previously promised that 40 million doses would be distributed by the end of December, and 20 million would be vaccinated.
“We have hindered too much and lived off as a nation,” said Dr. Stack said in a briefing, adding that his state received only a third of what they expected.
“If we had only predicted realistic amounts, the public would not have seen it as a shortcoming – we would have acknowledged it for the incredible achievement that it was even so quickly vaccinated.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, described that a week or two in advance it was found out how many vaccines the state would receive.
“But then the actual quantity that will be transported will sometimes be somewhat different, depending on the variables that Operation Warp Speed is dealing with in terms of manufacturing and how much it gets.”
“I think it’s important not to set unrealistic expectations that will then disappoint the public,” she added. “It could cause the public to become disillusioned with the program.”
States see ‘a health crisis of epic proportions’
At the center of the virus is California, a state that has been under records of hospitalizations, mortality rates and health care systems struggling to meet demand.
There were 459 deaths from new coronavirus on Wednesday and a record high of 22,820 patients treated in hospitals for the virus, the California Department of Public Health reported.
More than 8,000 of them have been admitted to the hospital in Los Angeles County, where the emergency medical system is under great pressure, the health department said.
“It’s a health crisis of epic proportions. I’m more concerned than ever before, and in part my concern is rooted in the fact that it will take so much more for us to slow down the spread, given the high rate of spread in the community. “” Barbara Ferrer, director of public health in Los Angeles County, said in a statement.
As of Thursday, a person dies every 8 minutes from Covid-19 in the country.
In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said more vaccinations and funding are needed to get the virus under control. But it is also ‘on us as individuals’, he said.
“We have to keep doing everything in our down behavior to sharpen our bubble, to make the right decisions and to make sure … we are doing everything in our power to stop it now.”
Kentucky saw two highs on Wednesday: 5,743 new cases were reported in one day and a positive percentage of 11.7%, the highest percentage in the state since May.
“Today’s numbers show how critically important a centralized effort and response is to defeat this virus,” Governor Andy Beshear said.
In Louisiana, the increase in cases and hospitalizations has led to stricter coronavirus restrictions in New Orleans. As of Friday morning, gatherings and special events are not allowed except for people living in a single household, and outdoor tables at pubs and restaurants will be limited to six people from the same household, according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
“The next few weeks will be a turning point in the history of our response to this pandemic,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “These restrictions are short-term, but they apply for a reason.”
The variant’s ‘very dangerous game’
The patient identified in Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, was a man between the ages of 30 and 40 with no travel history, officials said. The implication of this is that the variant circulates locally.
Ned Lamont, governor of Connecticut, said health officials in his state have identified two cases in people between 15 and 25 living in New Haven County. Both have traveled recently – one to Ireland and one to the state of New York.
Cases of the variant have been found in other states, including California, Florida, Colorado, Georgia, New York and Pennsylvania. And health experts warn that it could become a problem if the US does not gain control over the spread of the coronavirus.
“We are currently playing a very dangerous game with this virus,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical leader for the response to the coronavirus, told Elizabeth Cohen, senior medical correspondent at CNN. “What worries us is that the more opportunities it has to change, the longer it spreads.”
Van Kerkhove pointed out that many mutations will not have a big impact on the virus, but if a virus changes the genetics in the right way, tests may not detect it as easily, and vaccines may not work as well. not against it.
The virus is more likely to mutate in countries such as the United States, which are seeing unprecedented and uncontrolled spread.
She pointed out that some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, have done a better job of controlling the pandemic.
“It is up to us to bring the virus under control,” she said. “The virus is controllable, including these variants.”
CNN’s Jen Christensen, Alta Spells, Virginia Langmaid, Elizabeth Cohen and Maggie Fox Ben Tinker, Sarah Moon, Cheri Mossburg, Rebekah Riess, Jamiel Lynch, Keith Allen, Naomi Thomas, Anna Sturla, Taylor Romine, Melissa Alonso and Elizabeth Cohen contributed. report.