American coronavirus: America is in an “absolute race against time with” new variants of coronavirus, according to the expert

by

“We have a small breathing room right now, but if these new variants become dominant in our country, we’ll go back to where we were in November and December and maybe even worse,” emergency physician Dr. Megan Ranney told CNN .

“The increase that is likely to occur with this new variant of England will occur in the next six to 14 weeks and, if we see this happening … we will see something like the one we have not yet seen in this country,” The Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told NBC Sunday.

But this is not all. Last week, Minnesota officials announced that they had detected the first U.S. case of the P.1 variant in a Brazilian traveler. Two states also recently detected cases of a variant first identified in South Africa, which has worried scientists because of a mutation that could make current Covid-19 vaccines less effective.

“Despite the declining numbers, now is not the time to let go of basic precautions,” Ranney warned on Sunday. “Wear a mask, avoid indoor meetings without masking, and of course wash your hands and try to keep your distance from others when possible.”

The expert urges to change the vaccine strategy

Amid the push for more vaccinations before another possible rise, Osterholm said that while it is important for people to take doses of vaccines in two parts, the country needs a change in strategy to protect more Americans than could come.
New variants of coronavirus continue to appear. This is what we know about them

“We still want to get two doses for everyone, but I think right now, before this increase, we need to get as many single doses in as many people over 65 as we can to reduce serious illness and death that will occur over the next few weeks.” , he told NBC.

Getting more first doses now shouldn’t mean giving up a second dose, Ranney said.

“We should have Pfizer and Modern and hopefully soon Johnson & Johnson too, to help fill that gap,” Ranney said. “Give everyone the doses you can right now and count on increased production so you can adequately protect people.”
To date, more than 25.2 million Americans have received at least the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, while about 5.6 million have received both doses, according to CDC data.

The problems facing states

Across the country, allocation and distribution problems continue to slow the pace of vaccinations.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told CNN on Sunday, “If we have three problems, it’s supply, supply and supply.”

While the state has the capacity to give 250,000 first doses a week, Beshear said, they are only planned to get about 64,000 doses, a deficit that other states say they face.

“The only thing stopping us from defeating this virus next month is the amount of supply we receive.”

A highly successful vaccination site in a Latin American neighborhood in New York served more whites in other areas.
Meanwhile, some parts of the country face a different problem: racial disparities in vaccinations.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio highlighted preliminary data on Sunday showing a clear racial disparity among New Yorkers who have so far received vaccine doses.

“Clearly, what we see is a particularly marked reality of many more people from white communities being vaccinated than people from black and Latino communities,” de Blasio said.

In response, the city expanded its list of neighborhoods most affected by the virus and will increase its outreach, prioritize appointments and add new vaccination sites in those areas, among other efforts, the mayor said.

Disparity, Blasio said, must be “tackled aggressively and creatively.”

CDC issues guidelines on the Super Bowl

Meanwhile, following calls from health experts to duplicate safety measures, the CDC has also updated guidelines on safer ways to watch the upcoming Super Bowl.
Covid-19 Masks: Which mask is best for you and when to use it

The short version: Enjoy the game only with people in your household and get other guests to join it virtually.

“Attending large meetings like the Super Bowl increases the risk of obtaining and disseminating COVID-19,” the CDC said.

For Americans who choose to attend major Super Bowl events, such as surveillance parties, the agency offered several recommendations, such as calling the site in advance to make sure they are taking safety precautions, follow the guidelines social distancing, avoid cheering, use untouched payment methods, and maintain a mask at all times.

Here is the full list of recommendations.

CNN’s Maggie Fox, Ganesh Setty and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.

.Source