Experts are concerned that some Americans are giving up too soon, at a crucial time when looming threats may undo the gains made in the fight against Covid-19.
This month, at least a dozen state governors have relaxed Covid-19 restrictions, citing improved Covid-19 patterns and rising vaccination rates. Simultaneously, air travel is at pandemic-era highs, and the first spring break crowds have started to converge in Florida and other sunny destinations, even as cases of a deadly variant are on the increase.
According to the Transportation Security Administration, more than 1.3 million passengers were screened at airports on Sunday, implying that 5.2 million people flew since Thursday. This is the largest number of people who have traveled by air during all of the pandemic’s four-day stretches.
Spring breakers have arrived in Florida, with some Miami Beach officials claiming swollen crowds are abandoning precautions.
Officials fear that a mixture of both of these variables will pave the way for another spike.
“We’ve seen videos of people enjoying spring break celebrations without masks,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday. “All of this is taking place in the light of 50,000 cases a day.”
Is a fresh wave unavoidable? Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician, told CNN on Monday that the situation might go either way. “What happens next is entirely up to us, and whether we continue to wear masks and avoid indoor meetings as we should until we are vaccinated.”
The precautions will be much more important now that various strains of the virus are circulating, including the extremely infectious B.1.1.7 strain discovered in the United Kingdom.
According to Walensky, it is expected to become the dominant variant in the United States by the end of this month or early April.
According to CDC info, cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have been found in 48 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC.
“The way the variants spread is by letting our guard down,” Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting CDC Director told CNN on Monday. “By not wearing masks, by not social distancing. If we can hang in there for a few more months, there will be enough vaccine for every adult in America to be vaccinated.”
He explained, “Then we can truly let go of some of the restrictions that are in place. But if we do this too quickly, we could see an increase in cases; we could see a backslide that is occurring in many European countries, and that does not have to be the outcome here in America.”
In research published last week, the variant was related to a 64 percent increased risk of dying from Covid-19.
According to a paper published in the journal Nature, another peer-reviewed study has related the variant to a higher risk of death. After adjusting for a range of factors such as age, sex, and where and when tests were performed, the risk of death from the variant was estimated to be about 55 percent higher than earlier strains.
According to a subsequent report in the study, the overall increased risk of death could be slightly higher — about 61 percent higher than earlier strains that accounted for incomplete and potentially miscategorized test results.
The study could not account for vaccination or explain why the version could be more lethal than previous strains.
However, there is some positive news: vaccinations are ramping up, and experts believe that by the summer, Americans will return to some semblance of normalcy.
On Monday, the CDC announced that the country had reached a seven-day average of around 2.4 million Covid-19 vaccine doses administered every day, a new high.
This comes as more states have increased their vaccine eligibility criteria.
According to CDC reports, more than 71 million Americans have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. More than 38 million citizens in the United States have been completely vaccinated, accounting for about 11.5 percent of the population.
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