NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. deaths from COVID-19 fall again as the nation continues to recover from the devastating winter wave, a trend cautiously expects to accelerate as more vulnerable people are vaccinated .
Although new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations have plummeted, the death toll from the January 4,500 peak it has not been so steep. But now, after weeks of around 2,000 deaths a day, that number has dropped to about 1,400 U.S. lives lost each day due to the coronavirus.
“These data encourage me, but we need to be vigilant,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at Friday’s White House briefing.
Public health experts say it is too early to say definitively what is causing a decline since the increase, but they suspect travel and indoor meetings have declined, following widespread use of masks and deployment. of vaccines.
“We’re going in the right direction,” said Jagpreet Chhatwal, a researcher at Harvard Medical School. “I think a message of optimism is fair.”
Walensky and others worry that a pandemic-tired public will lower its guard too soon. And they are monitoring the spread of new and worrying versions of the virus.
“We’re all desperate to end this,” said Jeff Shaman, who studies infectious diseases at Columbia University. “We’re not in a safe place yet.”
Health workers say they have already seen it happen: a wave of illness and death, a momentary relief from a drop in COVID-19 cases, and then another deadly wave. Some 531,000 Americans have died since the pandemic began a year ago.
“Every time you thought you had an end, the number of cases increased,” said Dr. Mark Rosenberg, head of emergency medicine at St. Louis. Joseph’s Health in Paterson, New Jersey.
For now, most forecasts shows that coronavirus deaths will decline further in the coming weeks as more people are vaccinated. More than 100 million doses have been given since December and the pace is rising.
“We hope it continues to cause even more of these deaths,” said Justin Lessler, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins.
As of this week, 62% of those over 65 they have obtained at least one dose, according to the CDC. This is the age group that has hit the most and still accounts for the vast majority of deaths from COVID-19 in the US
Better and better treatments for severe COVID-19 will also continue to help, doctors say.
“All of these things come together to put a damper on the problem,” said Dr. Lewis Nelson, an emergency medicine specialist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
The count of coronavirus deaths often lags behind new infections and hospitalizations, as it can take a long time for someone to get seriously ill and die after contracting the virus. It may also take weeks for the deaths to be added to the national count.
“Unfortunately, there is a longer queue due to the death and death of COVID-19,” said Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, a public health expert at Boston College.
This is what happened in the case of Teresa Ciappa, 73, of Amherst, New York, who had a terrible cough and fever around Thanksgiving. He was admitted to hospital shortly afterwards and died in early January of complications from COVID-19.
“Week after week he just declined and declined,” said his daughter, Michelle Ciappa, who lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Her family was there when they took her out of a fan.
“We saw her take her last breath and that was all,” Michelle Ciappa said. “I wish people would be patient and take this more seriously.”
If states continue to lift restrictions, health experts warn, we could see another deadly wave of disease.
On Monday, Wyoming became the last state on a growing list, including Texas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Iowa, Montana and Alabama, which has met mask requirements or plans to do so soon. Governors across the country have also reduced restrictions on how many customers can be allowed in bars, restaurants, gyms and movie theaters.
“They don’t take a slow measured approach. They’re turning a switch, “Lessler said.” There’s a real possibility of big resurgences. “
Experts are also concerned about the uncontrolled spread of mutated versions of the coronavirus that spread more easily and could reduce the effectiveness of certain treatments or vaccines.
“It’s still a race against time,” said Jaline Gerardin, who studies COVID-19 trends at Northwestern University. “The fear is that we won’t catch something when needed.”
Rosenberg, the emergency physician, said he hopes the downward trend in the pandemic will encourage the public to continue wearing masks, washing their hands and keeping a safe distance from others.
“We know what worked,” he said. “If we say we’re in the final stages of the battle, don’t lay down your arms yet.”
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AP writers Thalia Beaty in New York and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.