US Coronavirus: a new forecast projects that more than 80,000 Americans could die in the next 3 weeks

And the outlook for January is bleak. More than 80,000 Americans could die from Covid-19 in the next three weeks, a new set of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention foresees projects – offering a strong reminder that the country still faces tough times.

The new forecast comes amid ongoing vaccine distributions – an implementation that experts say was slower than they expected. Vaccines will only have a significant impact when they are widely available to the public, experts said, which is unlikely to happen until the summer.

New Orleans officials called for “extreme caution” during New Year’s Eve, announcing that bars, breweries and live adult entertainment venues are expected to close indoor facilities starting at 11pm on Wednesday.

In Nevada, a similar message: Governor Steve Sisolak urged residents to avoid high-risk activities to slow the spread of the virus in the state.

“I know people want to celebrate the end of 2020 and I don’t blame them. But if we don’t start making smart choices in early 2021, we’ll look a lot more like 2020 than any of us want it to be,” said governor.

Commemorative trips and meetings can help fuel another outbreak of infections – followed by hospitalizations and deaths – warned health officials. But millions have chosen to spend their holidays away from home. More than a million people passed through airport security controls on Tuesday, for the fourth consecutive day after the Christmas holiday.

‘We need to do a better job’ in launching the vaccine, the official said

More than 2.7 million doses of the vaccine have been administered, according to the latest CDC figures, and more than 12.4 million have been distributed in the United States.

“We need to do a better job, but all vaccine programs start out a little slow,” Deputy Secretary of Health Admiral Brett Giroir told CNN on Wednesday, adding that he expects distribution to increase soon and that the United States is on its way to distribute 20 million doses of vaccine by the first week of January.

“I know that we will distribute around 30 million more in January and potentially up to 50 million more in February,” he said.

State leaders also expressed concern about the slow pace. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said he was “personally disappointed”, noting that “expectations were very high that the vaccine would have been launched faster” and “more efficiently than it has been”.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Wednesday that he was not satisfied with the number of vaccines that have been administered in the state so far and asked administrators to distribute the vaccines “as soon as possible”.

“We cannot control how quickly the vaccine reaches the state of Ohio. And we know that there is a shortage, ”said the governor, adding that what the state can control is the speed with which the vaccine is released after delivery.

In other parts of the country, more governors announced updated vaccination schedules this week.

Georgian authorities have declared plans to add adults aged 65 and over, police, firefighters and first responders to the current group of individuals eligible to receive the vaccine. In West Virginia, the governor announced that the state will begin “vaccination today for the general population over 80”.

In Nevada, officials said people aged 75 and over will be included in Level 2 of the state’s Covid-19 vaccine distribution plan and will be vaccinated at the same time as the first group of Nevada frontline workers. Residents between 65 and 74 years of age and people with underlying health problems will be part of the Level 3 group, along with the second group of essential workers.

Two states found a variant of the United Kingdom

Meanwhile, two states have found the Covid-19 variant, first identified in the UK.

Health officials announced on Wednesday that the variant was detected in a 30-year-old San Diego man who is not hospitalized and has had few social interactions during his potentially contagious period.

“Understanding that it is here in San Diego really underscores the importance of what we have been asking for and we continue to ask everyone to do it,” said San Diego County supervisor Nathan Fletcher. “Use facial coverage, avoid close contact with people you don’t live with, avoid large indoor environments and don’t leave home unless necessary.”

The CDC says the data suggests that the new Covid-19 variant has been circulating undetected in the United States and transmitted from person to person.

“Public health authorities in Colorado detected a variant that was first identified in the UK in a person who did not report travel history, the lack of reported travel history suggests that this variant was transmitted from person to person in the United States States, “said Dr. Henry Walke, CDC Covid-19 incident manager.

Walke said that while there is no evidence that the variant causes more severe symptoms or an increased risk of death, it can lead to more cases and “put even more pressure on our highly overburdened health systems.”

But vaccines that are being distributed across the country are likely to protect against the variant, Giroir said on Wednesday.

“We hope – we have not proved it 100%, but we will do it soon – we hope that the vaccines that are being administered or under development will cover this strain very well,” said Giroir.