Over the past week, the daily number of cases and deaths, on average, has increased by about 2% compared to the previous week, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said during a White House press conference, until to 67,000 daily cases and 2,000 American lives. lost by the virus every day. It’s almost a third of what the U.S. saw during its holiday waves, but it’s still no better than what the U.S. saw during the summer peak.
“With these new statistics, I am really concerned about reports indicating that more states are backtracking on the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people against COVID-19,” Walensky said. “I understand the temptation to do that (70,000 cases a day seems good compared to what we were a few months ago), but we can’t give up 70,000 cases a day, 2,000 deaths a day.”
This compensation occurs when states across the country, led by Democrats and Republicans alike, have eased restrictions, from strict measures put in place during the rise, such as home stay orders in California or closure. of indoor dining rooms in New York. returning to looser rules since the pandemic began, such as in Montana and Iowa, where governors have lifted mask mandates and lifted restrictions on businesses.
Arkansas and Texas are also considering repealing their mask mandates in the coming weeks.
Walensky, formerly head of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, filed a petition for all states Monday: “Please listen to me clearly. At this level of cases with spreading variants, we are losing completely the very earned ground we have earned, ”she said.
“These variants are a real threat to our people and to our progress. Now is not the time to relax the critical assurances we know could stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, not when we are so close. “, he said. dit.
Walensky urged people to continue driving cases, as the United States has mostly done since early January, although some areas of the country, such as Texas and Florida, have undergone changes in recent weeks.
There is no single reason why cases have been reduced, but infectious disease epidemiologist and ABC News contributor John Brownstein said it could be a combination of factors, including efforts of relaxed mitigation or complacency, but also an abandonment of testing that allows viruses and perhaps the cold in southern states like Texas, which motivated people to gather inland.
Brownstein also noted the growing prevalence of variant B.1.1.7, which originated in the UK and is 50% more transmissible.
“Obviously there’s a lot of enthusiasm to get back to normal and I think we should try to do everything we can,” Brownstein said. “But certain activities that we know are conducive to transmission, we have to put up with a little bit more.”
Walensky, the chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other public health experts have been warning for weeks that failing to mitigate before cases reach a more controllable level could lead to the same rise they saw in the US after a mosaic of reopening, mainly across the south, it erased much of the progress of the nationwide shutdown in March and April.
“We have the ability to stop a fourth potential increase in cases in this country. Please stand firm in your conviction, continue to wear the well-equipped mask and take other public health prevention actions that we know work. Walensky said.
Prior to the news of the statistics on the stands, most of the United States enjoyed a strong downward trajectory that coincided with the approval of a third coronavirus vaccine, developed by Johnson & Johnson and approved by the FDA during the weekend.
On Monday, 3.9 million doses of the newest vaccine were shipped, which only requires one dose compared to the doses needed for Pfizer or Modern vaccines. Sixteen million more doses will be available by the end of March, although the White House prepared the states for uneven distribution in the first few weeks as the company gets its production.
And as of Monday, 50 million Americans had received at least a dose of the other available vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, according to the White House.
All three vaccines are safe and effective against the virus and its variants, including variant B.1.1.7, which was originally discovered in the UK. The variant is about 50% more transmissible and scientists expect it to be the dominant strain in the United States. in mid-March, making the race to vaccinate most Americans more urgent.
The White House urged Americans to get any vaccine available when it comes to them.
“All three vaccines have been shown to be safe, highly effective, to prevent serious illness, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19 after complete immunity,” said Dr. Marcella Núñez-Smith, chair of the working group on health equity. of the White House.
“And if I could leave people a message, it’s this: get vaccinated. With the first vaccine available. Protect yourself, your family and your community from COVID-19,” he said.