Paramedics arrive with a patient with Covid-19 in the emergency department of Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California.
Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
New cases of Covid-19 are on the rise again in more than half of the United States, as officials compete to vaccinate more people before highly contagious variants become more common in the country.
As of Sunday, the seven-day average of new cases rose 5% or more in 27 states, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Across the United States, the nation recorded an average of 54,308 new cases a day over the past week, a 1% increase over the previous week after months of rapid decline in the number of cases, according to the data.
While the United States picks up the pace of vaccines, giving about 2.5 million shots every day, some health officials have warned that the country remains in a precarious position. The lifting of restrictions in many states and the spread of more contagious variants in the U.S. threaten to undo the nation’s progress, which has seen cases, hospitalizations and deaths drop dramatically from the peak earlier this year. .
“Serious threat”
Lifting the restrictions is a “serious threat to the progress we have made,” Drs told the press on Monday. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said he is concerned about an inescapable increase in cases. “We are at a critical point in this pandemic, a fork in the road.”
New daily deaths continue to decline, probably aided by prioritization for vaccination of the elderly and those with comorbid conditions most likely to die of Covid-19. About 68.8% of those 65 and older have received at least one vaccine as of Sunday, according to the CDC. In total, more than 124.4 million doses have been administered, but most are for two-dose vaccines.
As the steady increase in vaccinations is re-optimized, many states have begun to ease restrictions on business and meetings, despite CDC warnings not to do so. Although some states, such as New Jersey, are beginning to do so think about holding on to a new opening as cases start to increase.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, last week urged states not to declare victory prematurely.
He said he was concerned about several states and cities that were withdrawing public health measures and putting aside the mandates of the mask.
“So it’s unfortunate, but I’m not surprised to see an increase in the number of cases a day in areas (cities, states or regions), even though vaccines are distributed at a good percentage from 2 (million) to 3 million a day, ”Fauci said Friday. “This could be overcome if some areas prematurely withdraw from the mitigation and public health measures we are all talking about.”
B.1.1.7 in Michigan
Added to the urgency of the need to vaccinate people quickly is the emerging threat of new variants, which appear to have caused serious rises in much of Europe and other parts of the world. The CDC has projected that the most contagious and potentially deadliest variant B.1.1.7, which was discovered in the UK, could become the dominant strain in the US by the end of the month.
Some health officials have said that variant B.1.1.7 could be what lies behind some particularly troubling floods that have been seen in several states, including Michigan, where cases have risen sharply in recent days. According to Hopkins data, Michigan reports an average of nearly 3,000 new cases a day, 50% more than a week ago.
The increase in cases comes after the state allowed the reopening of restaurants to eat indoors on February 1, encouraged schools to offer face-to-face learning before March 1, and reduced restaurant restrictions and meetings earlier in the month. The recent climb even provoked Fauci recently plead with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for “holding back a bit” on reopening.
Along with easing restrictions, Michigan also has the second-highest B.1.1.7 case count in any state in the country, just behind Florida. According to the CDC, the state has 616 cases of the variant, although there are probably many more cases that have not yet been confirmed, which means the strain could be causing the outbreak there.