US Coronavirus: A safer future is only a few months away. But Americans should not give up on security measures yet, said the former CDC director

US Coronavirus: A safer future is only a few months away. But Americans should not give up on security measures yet, said the former CDC director

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“We are not done yet, Covid is not done with us. Variants are still a risk,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “You do not declare victory in the third quarter.”

“But in our worst case scenario, where people stop wearing masks faster, they start to get together faster, so you can see an increase in April,” he said.

In other words, the coming weeks are critical – and how communities act can improve or worsen Covid-19 numbers.
You asked, we answered: Your top questions about Covid-19 and vaccines
A customer enters a store with a mandatory face mask sign displayed on March 2, 2021, in Dallas

Another state leader announces relaxed restrictions

Despite warnings from experts about the dangers that persist, a number of states last week released plans to loosen Covid-19 restrictions.
More recently, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has announced that he will lift the mask requirement across the state and allow bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms to resume normal operations from March 16.
Why you should wear a face mask, even if your condition doesn't require it

“I urge all citizens of Wyoming to continue to take personal responsibility for their actions and to be diligent as we look to the warmer months and the safe resumption of our traditional spring and summer activities,” the governor said in a statement on Monday. market.

A facial coverage protocol will remain in effect for K-12 schools, he added.

Other state leaders, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, also announced earlier this month that they were eliminating masquerade mandates.

Health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, urged Americans to continue to mask and maintain the safety of Covid-19, even as states move to remove restrictions.

“Listen to the CDC’s recommendations on methods of mitigation, masking, physical distance,” Fauci told the National League of Cities on Monday. “Hear what their recommendations are.”

Post-vaccination guidance does not go far enough, say some experts

Many of the state leaders who announced mitigated measures pointed to encouraging trends from Covid-19 in their state and increasing numbers of vaccinations. But while the number of vaccinated Americans grows every day, the country is probably still a few months away from collective immunity – the point at which enough people are protected from a disease that it cannot spread.
CDC publishes highly anticipated guidelines for people fully vaccinated against Covid-19
So far, more than 60 million Americans have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to data from the CDC. More than 31.4 million people are fully vaccinated, the data show. That is about 9.5% of the US population.
The CDC has just launched new guidelines for fully vaccinated people, saying that they can safely visit other people who have been vaccinated, as well as small groups of people who have not been vaccinated in some cases – but safety precautions are still needed.

The guidance says that fully vaccinated people can visit other vaccinated people indoors without masks or physical distance, can visit indoors with unvaccinated people from a single home without masks or physical distance – if unvaccinated people are at low risk of severe illness – and can skip quarantine and test if they are exposed to someone who has Covid-19, but is asymptomatic, but must still monitor symptoms for two weeks.

About 50 people were vaccinated on a Florida site, despite being ineligible

The CDC also noted that its travel recommendations have not changed: it says that people should delay their trip and stay home. The guidance will continue to be updated, Walensky said on Monday.

Read more about the new guidelines here

But some experts say the guidance has not gone far enough.

“This is one of those examples where I think the CDC is being overly cautious in a way that defies common sense,” emergency doctor Dr. Leana Wen told CNN on Monday. “It just doesn’t make sense that you can’t travel, especially if you can now get together with your loved ones. I think a lot of people are looking forward to seeing their grandchildren that they don’t necessarily live with.”

“In fact, I would go further and say that people who are fully vaccinated should be able to travel, should be encouraged to travel,” he added.

CNN’s Virginia Langmaid, Jacqueline Howard, Jen Christensen and Will Brown contributed to this report.

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