“What concerns me is the filming of what is happening on spring break, in people who are not continuing to implement prevention strategies while we are fully scaling up,” said Rochelle Walensky, director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, during an interview at the White House. 19 briefing.
“We need to hold on a little longer, because we can see a time in the coming months when we will have many more people vaccinated and will actually be able to reduce infection rates,” she added.
“If we decide to invest in prevention now, we will end up getting out of this pandemic faster and with fewer lives lost,” said the director of the CDC.
So even though the United States is getting closer and closer to turning the corner, it has not yet arrived there. The country continues to add tens of thousands of new cases and hundreds of virus-related deaths every day.
“When you are at that level, I don’t think you can declare victory and say you have turned the corner,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, during the briefing. “You have to continue to do what we are doing: more vaccines and continue to take public health measures until we really fold the page.”
‘A shock of hope for all of us’
The good news: vaccines are already making a difference.
The pace of vaccinations has doubled in less than two months, CDC data shows, and now more than 70% of people aged 65 and over have received at least one injection.
This population aged 65 and over also saw a greater decline in Covid-19 case rates, death rates and hospitalizations than any other age group and is now responsible for a smaller share of total hospitalizations than a few months ago, according to an analysis of CDC data.
In nursing homes, which have been prioritized for vaccinations across the country since implantations began, Covid-19 cases and deaths among residents are the lowest since screening began in May, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Several recent studies have also shown that vaccines protected health workers, said Walensky and Fauci during Wednesday’s briefing.
“These findings should be a shake of hope for all of us and serve as a catalyst for everyone to roll up their sleeves when the vaccine is available,” said Walensky.
In total, vaccines have probably saved at least 40,000 American lives by now, former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden told CNN on Wednesday night.
“They are extremely effective and safe,” said Frieden.
What could prevent more vaccinations
The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine available for use by people aged 16 and over, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized for people aged 18 and over.
As eligibility opens up, some local officials fear that the challenge will soon be short demand, rather than reduced supply.
This could happen in the next four to six weeks, says Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
“We will get to the point very quickly where we are saying, ‘OK, now we are in the really difficult phase of all of this, where we are with the population that is not so willing to get the vaccine,'” Freeman said. said.
It is that last mile of “people who are hesitant” that will be a challenge, she added. And other experts and officials have also expressed concern about this last stretch.
“The hesitation is worrying not only here, but throughout the country, and I hope as a country we will reach 50% of the population’s vaccination rate. But it will be more difficult for us to move from 50% to 70%, “Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson told CNN earlier this week.
“It’s about overcoming skepticism, it’s about education,” he said.
CNN’s Deidre McPhillips, Jacqueline Howard and Deanna Hackney contributed to this report.