After several weeks on a plateau, Covid-19 cases in the United States are rising again, the clearest warning sign that the country may face another “avoidable” increase, said the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. on Friday.
The increase comes at a critical time, when Americans are exhausted and desperate for a return to normality, but also perhaps better equipped than at any other point in the pandemic to turn the tide, thanks to the increased supply of vaccines.
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CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a news conference that the most recent average of Covid-19 cases over seven days was about 57,000 cases per day, up 7 percent from the previous week. .
“We know from previous outbreaks that if we don’t control things now, there is real potential for the epidemic curve to rise again,” she said, adding that she remains “deeply concerned” about trends.
The immediate challenge for Walensky and other public health officials is to convince Americans tired of pandemic protocols to endure a little more time with masks and physical distance, since vaccines are administered at an average of 2.5 million per month. day. Still, only 14 percent of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
But are the Americans or their elected leaders listening?
Urgent calls from public health officials come as an increasing number of states have begun to relax mitigation strategies.
“Elected leaders are undermining public health messages left and right,” said Brian Castrucci, president and chief operating officer of the Beaumont Foundation, a nonprofit public health organization.
Arizona is the latest state to announce that it is suspending mask mandates and allowing bars and restaurants to reopen fully – joining Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota and Texas.
On Friday afternoon, many North Carolina companies, including retail stores, were allowed to reopen fully. Connecticut and Maryland also announced plans to reverse mitigation efforts.
In a statement to NBC News, Walensky acknowledged that his team is “competing against messages from states that are withdrawing public health measures, such as wearing masks and relaxing the limits for in-person dining in restaurants and bars.”
“We are also communicating with a tired audience,” she said after Friday’s briefing, in which she asked people to stay on the course.
“We can reverse that, but it will get us all working together.”
It seems, however, that many people are rejecting the idea. The hot spots of spring break are crowded. Many bars and restaurants are packed.
“It’s clearly not working,” said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and former Baltimore health commissioner. “It doesn’t work if we tell them, ‘Don’t travel, don’t party’, because they are doing it.”
Wen said the best strategy is to communicate ways to minimize, not necessarily eliminate, the risk.
Forcing spring waves off beaches or other outdoor locations can have the unintended impact of conducting such meetings underground, for more dangerous situations.
“Now, instead of meeting in open-air bars, they will be staying in the hotel room of someone with 10 people in a room that is not well ventilated,” said Wen.
The mixed message is not surprising for Castrucci. “This whole pandemic is a monument to our inability to communicate effectively,” he said.
In addition to changing messaging strategies for safer meetings, it’s worth reminding people that the end may be in sight.
Dr. Julie Morita, executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, describes the current pandemic situation in the United States as if a marathon is coming to an end.
“It would be much easier to stop and relax and let your guard down and forget about social detachment and avoid large crowds,” said Morita, who also served as a former health commissioner in the Chicago Department of Public Health. “But we can really do that. The finish line is in sight.”
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In fact, this is the message that Walensky said he tries to convey in weekly calls to governors, encouraging them to “wait a little longer”.
“We certainly understand that people are tired,” said Jeff Zients, coordinator of the Covid-19 task force under the Biden government, during Friday’s briefing. “But we can’t let our guard down.”
Castrucci suggests a different public health communication tactic: instead of focusing on mitigation, stay focused on vaccines.
And, he said, that the messages come from people who are not politicians, such as religious leaders, doctors and ordinary people.
“The more people get the vaccine, the more they can say ‘Wow, I feel great’ or ‘I didn’t have any side effects’ or ‘I didn’t become a zombie’,” Castrucci said.
“We need to have a constant beat on this conversation.”
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