US Coronavirus: Covid-19 cases have declined. See why this could predict another increase, says the expert

US Coronavirus: Covid-19 cases have declined. See why this could predict another increase, says the expert

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“On the one hand, we are distributing vaccines at a record pace, but on the other hand, we have these variants. We also know that the peaks occurred after spring break and before holidays. So what happens now depends on us” The emergency doctor, Dr. Leana Wen, told CNN on Sunday.

Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 4,800 cases of coronavirus variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the United States. The actual number of cases is likely to be higher – this number represents only those cases that have been identified with the help of genomic sequencing, the agency said.

“The best way to avoid any threat of variants is to do two things,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Sunday. “Vaccinate as many people as soon as possible and continue with public health measures until we get this broad umbrella of protection for society that the level of infection is very low.”
This means that the United States should not ease restrictions before the number of daily Covid-19 cases drops below 10,000 and “perhaps even considerably less than that,” said Fauci earlier.
But a growing list of governors has recently announced a reduction in restrictions. And infection levels in the U.S. are anything but low as the variants circulate. An average of more than 53,000 cases of Covid-19 and more than 1,350 deaths were reported daily last week.

The decline in cases reported by authorities earlier this year now appears to have stabilized, which worries experts.

“Based on our previous experience in this country and in other countries, when you see a plateau, it predicts another increase,” infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist Dr. Celine Gounder told CNN on Sunday. “And we have these new variants that are also potentially generating a more severe wave.”

People gather in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, on March 14, 2021.

Meanwhile, travel hits pandemic records

Spring break – which has already started all over the country – can be a perfect storm to spread variants.
100 arrested during spring break in Miami Beach despite pandemic

In Miami Beach, Mayor Dan Gelber said over the weekend that local officials are seeing “a lot of spring break activity”.

“We have a problem with a lot of people coming here,” said the mayor. “We have a problem with a lot of people coming here to let go.”

Meanwhile, air travel across the country is reaching pandemic records.

More than 1.3 million people were screened at airports on Friday – the highest number since March 15, 2020, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

More than 1.2 million people were screened on Saturday, according to TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein. That’s almost double the number of people who were selected on February 9, said Farbstein in a tweet.

“It was the eighth day of this month that the transfer rate exceeded (one million). If you plan on traveling, wear a mask,” added Farbstein.

You asked, we answered: Your top questions about Covid-19 and vaccines

Good news for vaccines

While many Americans are pushing for a return to normality with warmer weather on the horizon, American officials are working to get as many shots at the guns as possible as soon as possible.

So far, more than 69.7 million people have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. More than 37.4 million are fully vaccinated – about 11.3% of the United States’ population.

On Sunday, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and current board member of Pfizer, offered more encouraging news.

“All the evidence in all vaccines now points in the direction that these vaccines will reduce asymptomatic infection and reduce transmission,” he told CBS.

“If that’s the case, the vaccine creates what we call ‘dead-end hosts’ – many dead-end hosts – which means that people will no longer be able to transmit the infection,” added Gottlieb.

Fauci says Covid's guidelines
Last week, the CDC released its first set of guidelines for fully vaccinated people – guidance that the agency and other officials said will evolve as more Americans become vaccinated and more data becomes available.

“What we saw was the first part of what you can do if you get vaccinated … what you can do at home, with people vaccinated together or people vaccinated with an unvaccinated person,” Fauci told CNN on Sunday.

“Soon, you will see similar types of guidelines for the American public, when it comes to travel, workplaces, all kinds of different things,” he added. “You will soon see that kind of guidance coming out.”

Vaccine Policy Division

Health experts estimate that somewhere between 70% to 85% of the US population must be vaccinated for the country to achieve collective immunity against Covid-19. But the main challenges remain, said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, last week, including “restricted vaccine supply, continued vaccine hesitation and an increase in myths and misinformation related to Covid-19 vaccines.”

Another challenge: a political divide between Americans who plan to take a chance.

A CNN poll conducted by the SSRS, which was released on Thursday, shows that while 92% of Democrats say they have received a dose of the vaccine or plan to get it, that drops to 50% among Republicans.

It is a discovery that Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson called “worrying”.

Biden instructs states to open vaccination for all adults by May 1

In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp said at a news conference late last week that the state is witnessing white Republicans’ hesitation in several communities.

Another poll, from NPR / PBS NewsHour / Marist, found that almost half – 47% – of the people who supported President Donald Trump in the 2020 elections said they would not receive the Covid-19 vaccine if it became available to them, while only about 10% of people who supported President Joe Biden said they would not receive the vaccine.

Fauci said on “Fox News Sunday” that he thought Trump telling Republicans to get vaccinated “would make all the difference in the world”.

“He is a very popular person among Republicans. If he said, ‘Go and get vaccinated, it is very important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country’, it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are your close followers would hear you, “said Fauci.

CNN’s Michael Nedelman, Anjali Huynh, Hollie Silverman and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.

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