“Don’t declare victory prematurely,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“We see so many people withdrawing some of the public health measures: the mandates of the mask, the opening of the restaurant, the bars. We can’t do that. We have to wait a little longer until we get enough vaccine against people who clearly we will contain any wave “.
If the U.S. continues to vaccinate quickly and downsize on security measures, they could soon see a “change,” Fauci said.
To try to get out of this pandemic, “it’s still about masks and physical distancing, ventilation and vaccines,” said emergency physician Dra. Megan Ranney, director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health in Rhode Island.
“Current vaccines work very well against B.1.1.7.”
In New Jersey, where more than 950 variant-related cases were reported, patients with ventilators and virus-related deaths have risen, state health commissioner Judy Persichilli said Monday.
He added that about 48% of the new hospitalizations in the state were people under 60 years old.
The FDA recommends stopping the J&J vaccine
The six cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48 and symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination, according to a statement issued Tuesday by agency officials.
“CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to review these cases and assess their potential significance,” the statement said.
“The FDA will review this analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until this process is completed, we recommend a pause in the use of this vaccine with great caution. This is important, in part, to ensure that health care the provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for appropriate recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot. ”
The United States is well on its way to achieving a key milestone in vaccination
The good news is that vaccines are on the rise.
According to a CNN analysis of CDC data, the United States is on track to reach half of the American adult population with at least one dose by the end of the week.
At least 11 states have already reached this threshold: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.
In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced a new “Kentucky Team Vaccination Challenge,” saying that when 2.5 million residents have received at least the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, the state will eliminate the most of its capacity restrictions.
“We have to try everything to get to this point as quickly as possible. This will help us have a more normal summer than any of us could have imagined this winter,” the governor added.
What Fauci says about indoor and outdoor food
Fauci said that while he has been too busy to do so recently, “in an open-air restaurant, right now, where we are, I would not hesitate to do so.”
And what about indoor dining rooms for fully vaccinated Americans?
“What you need to do is look at the level of infection in the community,” Fauci said.
“Being vaccinated, the risk for you is very low. It’s not like before, when you didn’t get vaccinated and you had a lot of activity in the community and you went to an indoor restaurant where there were no (restrictions). Your risk would be up there “While now, the risk is not zero, but it is extremely low” if you are completely vaccinated.
More universities will require a vaccine test
Johns Hopkins University in Maryland is the latest to join the list.
All students who plan to be on campus will need to be vaccinated unless they have a medical or religious reason for not being so and it is also recommended that teachers be vaccinated, although it will not be necessary for them, according to an ad sent. in the campus community Friday.
“Our plans are based on continuing public health strategies to promote a safe campus and community,” wrote Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels and other university leaders.
“Ensuring that the overwhelming percentage of our community’s population is vaccinated will greatly reduce the risk of the virus spreading to our campuses and will also protect our Baltimore neighbors,” they added.
According to the CNN count, there are at least 18 colleges and universities in the United States that will require vaccines against Covid-19.
CNN’s Deidre McPhillips, Elizabeth Stuart and Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report.