Washington – That was warned by former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr Scott Godlip on Sunday Corona virus As Americans gather, the hospital system will experience strains after several weeks as infections increase in January Celebrate the holidays Despite the predictions from public health officials of the harsh winter with their families.
“There is going to be pressure on the health care system, and the health care system should not be overstated,” Godlip told Face to the Nation. “They’re not going to see much of a burden on hospital resources until mid – January to late January.”
Godlip predicts Patients with corona virus It is likely to continue to increase in late December and early January, after which the number of infections peaks at some point.
“But the burden of the hospital system will continue for another three weeks,” he said.
The country is experiencing another outbreak of corona virus infections, with more than 16 million cases in the United States and a death toll of close to 300,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Public health officials urged Americans to anticipate an increase in cases occurring during the holidays Before giving thanks Now they should avoid their regular celebrations in favor of Christmas measured meetings.
But the death toll continues to rise, and Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the country was going to experience more deaths per day for the next 60-90 days than the attacks last week on September 60. 2001, or Pearl Harbor.
Godlip said there has been an acceleration in cases on the east and west coasts, while new cases are declining in the Midwest and West.
“The whole country is not affected by this epidemic at once,” he said.
The corona virus crisis entered a new phase last week, however, with the FDA Recognizes the COVID-19 vaccine Developed by Pfizer and Bioendech of Germany for emergency use. The First export The vaccine was released Sunday morning, and nearly 3 million doses have been restricted to more than 600 sites across the country. Health workers and nursing home residents will receive the first round of vaccinations, and the federal government expects drugs to be delivered to vaccinated sites within three weeks.
Godleaf, who serves on Pfizer’s board of directors, said most of the doses offered this month were made by the pharmaceutical company, with a dose of $ 25 million for the United States. By the end of the first quarter of 2021, Pfizer is committed to delivering its corona virus vaccine in 100 million doses, and Godlip said it hopes to “reach that goal.”
The release of the corona virus vaccine marks the largest vaccination effort in the country’s history, which is not without challenges. The Pfizer vaccine should be stored at about 94 degrees below zero, and the company uses containers with dry ice and GPS-enabled sensors.
But a key issue, Godlip, is the “last mile”, ensuring that vaccines are distributed to communities.
“Initially they are going to be distributed to hospitals for health workers and hospitals, so this is a small challenge. You know where those companies are. You can get those people,” he said. “Once they go into the community and get vaccinated, for example, older people who can’t leave their home will have a challenge in getting them to those parts of the country, especially the backward communities.”
An example of this problem, he said, is the distribution of antibody drugs.
“Some states do not distribute them very evenly. I’m told some states that they do not use them. They do not distribute the available distribution because they have challenges in improving and running those systems,” Godlip said. “I think this is a precursor to the challenges they will face vaccinating on that last mile challenge.”