US coronavirus: Covid-19 vaccines could be available to the general public in April in the United States, according to Fauci

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The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told NBC’s “Today” network that he believes the rate of vaccination will increase until March and April.

There should be more doses available daily by then, he said. And he said he was “pretty sure” that by the end of April, pharmacies, community vaccination centers and mobile units will help pick up the pace, and not just for those who are part of higher-priority groups.

“I imagine we’ll arrive in April, that would be what I would ask for, you know, for better writing, open season,” Fauci said. “That is, just about anyone and anyone in any category could start getting vaccinated.”

Meanwhile, there are more states loosening Covid-19 restrictions, though experts warn that the United States is unclear, as more and more transmissible variants appear across the country.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed a bill that protects businesses and houses of worship from legal responsibility for transmitting Covid-19 as long as they take steps to follow public health guidelines and announced that they will not would extend the state mask mandate.

“The mandate of the mask will expire on Friday,” the governor said, adding, “Since we are not yet out of the forest, I will continue to wear a mask and encourage all mountaineers to do the same.”

Guests dine indoors on January 27 at Chicago’s Gibsons Italia restaurant.
Chicago officials said Wednesday’s covered service at bars, restaurants and events could be expanded to 25 percent capacity or 50 people per room or floor. The measure, which will take effect Thursday, is part of a broader plan to slowly ease Covid-19 restrictions on the city.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that stadiums and stages with more than 10,000 seats could reopen beginning Feb. 23, with the approval of the state Department of Health, with severe restrictions. The Brooklyn Barclays Center has already been approved to open the Brooklyn Nets NBA game against the Sacramento Kings that day.

However, New York stadiums must limit capacity to 10%; they must ensure that all staff and spectators have received a negative Covid-19 PCR test in the last 72 hours; and must require socially assigned and spaced facials and seats.

“While we continue to fight Covid on multiple fronts, we must also get this economy to reopen in a smart and balanced way,” Cuomo said.
The latest on the pandemic and coronavirus vaccines

In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state would abandon its mandatory quarantine rule for people from “high-risk” states, attributing the policy change to a “prudently brighter pandemic.” “after several months of unsustainable tension over health systems.”

But health experts have warned that variants of Covid-19 complicate the country’s prospects. Relieving the restrictions is now “incredibly risky,” Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned earlier this week.

“It is absolutely essential that we continue to take steps beyond vaccination to keep this under control,” Besser said. “The more this virus is allowed to spread in our communities, the more we will see these variants spread.”

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are falling, for now

The CDC has said a more transmissible variant first identified in the UK could be dominant in the US in March and could worsen the spread of the virus.

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For now, however, rates of new Covid-19 cases and deaths and the number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals are declining after the holiday season rises:

– Cases: The United States has averaged 104,304 new cases of Covid-19 a day over the past week, 58 percent less than the country’s maximum average of more than 249,800 on Jan. 8, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

– Hospitalizations: More than 76,900 Covid-19 patients were in hospitals in the United States on Wednesday, the lowest total since Nov. 16, according to the COVID follow-up project. The number has been less than 100,000 for 12 consecutive days.

– Deaths: The country has averaged 2,779 deaths per Covid-19 per day over the past week, below the country’s average of 3,363 in mid-January, according to Johns Hopkins.

– The positivity rate of national tests, or the percentage of tests performed that turn out to be positive, now averages 6.49%, according to the COVID monitoring project.

This fell from the winter high of around 13.6% in early January. But the World Health Organization has recommended that governments not reopen until the test positivity rate is 5% or lower for at least two weeks.

An overall forecast released by the CDC on Wednesday projects that the United States could see 68,000 virus-related deaths by March 6, in addition to the more than 471,700 already recorded.

Which states are looking for variants

To date, more than 940 cases of Covid-19 variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the US, according to CDC data.
The Biden administration
But the number is unlikely to represent all variant cases in the country, experts have warned. Although the United States is stepping up its genome sequencing efforts to be able to look for variants, it is still far behind many other developed nations.
“I think once we have more sequencing, we’ll have a better idea of ​​how many variants there are and what proportion there are,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said earlier this week.

But only eight states have genetically sequenced more than 1% of all Covid-19 cases during the pandemic, compared to the national average of just under 0.4%, according to CDC data.

These states include Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington state, and Wyoming.

Eighteen states have sequenced less than 0.1% of confirmed cases of Covid-19.

CDC: The second dose of vaccine can be given later

Meanwhile, the CDC also released new best practice guidelines for managing second doses of the vaccine.

Pfizer / BioNTech and Modern Covid-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the US are administered in two doses, separated by 21 and 28 days, respectively.

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But if it is not possible to meet these recommended intervals, the new CDC guide says the second dose “can be scheduled for administration up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose.”

To date, more than 33.7 million Americans have received at least the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine, according to CDC data, while more than 10.4 million people are fully vaccinated.

The agency said Wednesday that people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can skip quarantine if they are exposed to someone infected with the virus.

“Fully vaccinated people who meet the criteria will no longer have to quarantine after exposure to someone with COVID-19,” the CDC said.

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This criterion: people must be completely vaccinated, as they have had both shots with at least two weeks to have passed since the second shot.

But the agency added that protection can wear off after three months, so people who received the last shot three months or more ago should be quarantined if exposed, and they should also put them on. in quarantine if they show symptoms.

“At this time, vaccinated people should continue to follow current guidelines to protect themselves and others, including wearing a mask, stay at least 6 feet away from others, avoid congestion , avoid poorly ventilated areas, cover coughs and sneezes, wash your hands often, follow CDC travel guidelines and follow any guidelines applicable to work or school, ”the agency said.

CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Andy Rose, Michael Nedelman, Keri Enriquez, Jacqueline Howard, Ben Tinker, Jennifer Hauser and Brad Parks contributed to this report.

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