The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told NBC’s “Today” program that he believes the rate of vaccination will increase in March and April.
More doses should be available daily by then, he said. And he said he was “pretty sure” that by the end of April, pharmacies, community vaccine centers and mobile units will help speed up the pace – and not just for those in higher priority groups.
“I imagine that when we get to April, that’s what I would ask, you know, for a better writing, hunting season,” said Fauci. “That is, virtually anyone and everyone in any category can start getting vaccinated.”
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill on Wednesday protecting companies and places of worship from legal liability for the Covid-19 broadcast, provided they take steps to follow public health guidelines, and announced that he would not extend the mask mandate across the state.
“The mask’s term expires on Friday,” said the governor, adding, “Since we are not yet out of danger, I will continue to wear a mask and encourage all Montana residents to do the same.”
However, New York stadiums are expected to limit capacity to 10%; they must ensure that all employees and viewers have received a negative Covid-19 PCR test in the past 72 hours; and they must demand facial coverings and designated and socially distant seats.
In New Mexico, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state will abandon its mandatory quarantine rule for people from “high risk” states, attributing the policy change to a “cautiously brighter pandemic outlook after several months of unsustainable pressure. about the state health system. ”
“It is absolutely essential that we continue to take steps beyond vaccination to keep this under control,” said Besser. “The more this virus can spread in our communities, the more we will see these variants spread.”
Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are decreasing, for now
The CDC said that a more transmissible variant first identified in the UK could be dominant in the U.S. in March and could worsen the spread of the virus.
For now, however, the rates of new cases and deaths from Covid-19 and the number of patients from Covid-19 in hospitals are falling after the outbreaks of the holiday era:
– Cases: the U.S. recorded an average of 104,304 new Covid-19 cases per day last week – a 58% drop from the country’s peak average of more than 249,800 on January 8, according to data from Johns Hopkins University .
– Hospitalizations: More than 76,900 Covid-19 patients were in US hospitals on Wednesday – the lowest total since November 16, according to the COVID Screening Project. The number has been below 100,000 for 12 consecutive days.
– Deaths: The country averaged 2,779 Covid-19 deaths per day last week – below the country’s peak average of 3,363 in mid-January, according to Johns Hopkins data.
– The rate of positivity of national examinations – or percentage of examinations performed that give a positive result – increased to an average of 6.49%, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
This is below a winter peak of around 13.6% in early January. But the World Health Organization has recommended that governments not reopen until the test’s positive rate is 5% or less for at least two weeks.
Which states are looking for variants
But only eight states genetically sequenced more than 1% of the total Covid-19 cases during the pandemic – compared to the national average of just under 0.4%, according to CDC data.
These states include Hawaii, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington State and Wyoming.
Eighteen states have sequenced less than 0.1% of their confirmed Covid-19 cases.
CDC: the second dose of the vaccine can be administered later
Meanwhile, the CDC also released new guidelines on best practices for managing second doses of the vaccine.
The Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use in the United States are administered in two doses – 21 and 28 days apart, respectively.
But if it is not possible to meet these recommended intervals, the new CDC guidance says that the second dose “can be scheduled for administration within 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose”.
The agency said on Wednesday that people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 could skip quarantine if they were exposed to someone infected with the virus.
“Fully vaccinated people who meet the criteria will no longer be required to be quarantined after exposure to someone with COVID-19,” said the CDC.
That criterion: people must be fully vaccinated – having taken both vaccines at least two weeks after the second injection.
But the agency added that protection could decrease after three months, so people who had their last injection three months or more should be quarantined if they are exposed, and they should also be quarantined if they experience symptoms.
“At this point, vaccinated people should continue to follow current guidelines to protect themselves and others, including wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, avoiding poorly ventilated spaces, covering coughs and sneezing, washing holding hands frequently, following CDC travel guidelines and following any guidance applicable to the workplace or school, “said the agency.
CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Andy Rose, Michael Nedelman, Keri Enriquez, Jacqueline Howard, Ben Tinker, Jennifer Hauser and Brad Parks contributed to this report.