However, vaccinating the rest of the population is not the only problem facing the Biden-Harris administration.
The current wave has rekindled a political controversy over the use of masks, and some governors oppose all measures to make facial masks mandatory despite advice from health authorities.
Here are the new developments …
130,000 new Covid cases a day
On Wednesday, U.S. daily cases exceeded 150,000, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CD) issued a warning that community transmission in the country is high.
Previously, the United States took about nine months to reach an average of 100,000 daily cases in November. The daily average later dropped to 11,000 daily in June. But as of Aug. 18, the seven-day average of new daily cases is 130,121.
This figure is 13.2% higher than the previous week and 1,016.8% higher than the lowest average in June.
Increase in Covid-related deaths
The United States on Tuesday reported more than 1,000 deaths from Covid-19, totaling nearly 42 deaths per hour.
A combination of low vaccination rates and the highly transmissible Delta variant have led to an increase in deaths over the past month.
According to one Reuters in total, daily deaths average 769 per day, the highest since mid-April.
The Covid wave overwhelms hospitals
In the chaos and panic somewhat reminiscent of the third Covid wave, the “unvaccinated pandemic” has pushed hospitals to the brink of many U.S. states. This has led to a desperate struggle to find beds for patients.
Hospitals are already tense as emergency volumes return to pre-pandemic levels.
Last week alone, hospitals across the country saw more than 75,000 coronavirus patients. In recent weeks, Florida, Arkansas, Oregon, Hawaii, Louisiana and Mississippi have set pandemic records for hospitalizations in Covid.
Many overwhelmed hospitals were forced to send patients with Covid-19-critical illness via planes, helicopters and ambulances to distant states to receive treatment.
According to a report on The New York Times, has also increased the number of critically ill patients in need of treatment in an intensive care unit.
Data from the Department of Health and Human Services show that the number of very full ICU hospitals has doubled in recent weeks.
Reinforcement shots as the Delta variant appears
In the meantime, Covid-19 vaccine booster vaccines will be widely available to Americans starting Sept. 20.
The third shot will be offered to those who received the first two-dose vaccine inoculation manufactured by Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech AG at least eight months earlier.
Reinforcement traits will initially focus on health care workers, residential residents, and the elderly.
President Joe Biden confirmed that he and his wife will receive a Covid-19 booster shot after their first two doses in December.
The move comes after U.S. health officials cited data showing less and less protection against initial vaccinations as Delta variant infections continue to increase.
The war for masks is deepening
The recent outbreak of Covid-19 has sparked a new political war over masked mandates. With a new school year beginning in the U.S., Biden warned governors who opposed student mask requirements that they could face legal action.
Republican governors in Florida and Texas (who are also Covid-19 hotspots) have rejected recommendations that require students to wear masks in the classroom. In fact, the Florida Board of Education voted this week to punish two school districts that established mask warrants.
“Unfortunately … some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures (that is, children wearing masks into school) into political disputes for their own political benefit,” Biden had said during a White House speech on Wednesday. . “They’re setting a dangerous tone.”
The president also instructed Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to use “legal action, where appropriate, against governors trying to block and intimidate local school officials and educators.”
(With contributions from agencies)