The United States has lost more than 529,000 people to the virus, data from Johns Hopkins University show. It is more than the number of Americans killed in World War I and World War II combined. And the death toll is increasing by the thousands every week.
The number of cases, after stagnating at high levels, may be starting to drop again, said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday. Average hospital admissions and deaths from Covid-19 also fell last week, she added.
“While these trends are starting to go in the right direction, the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths still remain very high and are bleak reminders that we must remain vigilant as we work to increase our vaccination efforts across the country,” said Walensky.
“We must continue to use proven preventive measures to slow the spread of Covid-19,” added Walensky. “They are approaching the end of this pandemic.”
Guidance for fully vaccinated people will evolve with more data
“As the vaccine supply increases and distribution and administration systems expand and improve, more and more people will become fully vaccinated and eager to resume their pre-pandemic lives,” said Walensky and the Drs. Sarah Mbaeyi and Athalia Christie wrote.
“Giving vaccinated people the ability to visit their family and friends safely is an important step towards improving well-being and a significant benefit from vaccination,” they added.
Guidance will evolve as the number of vaccines increases and more data emerges, officials said, but although many Americans remain unvaccinated, public health precautions are still very important.
“With high levels of transmission in the community and the threat of worrying SARS-CoV-2 variants, the CDC still recommends a series of preventive measures for all people, regardless of their vaccination status,” they wrote.
In its new orientation, the agency has not updated its travel recommendations: the CDC still says that people should delay the trip and stay at home.
“What we saw is that we have outbreaks after people start traveling. We saw this after July 4th, we saw it after Labor Day, we saw it after the Christmas holiday,” Walensky said at the briefing. “Currently, 90% of people are still unprotected and not vaccinated. So we are really looking forward to updating this guidance, as we have more protection in communities and in the population ”.
More than 2 million injections administered daily
And for more than a week, the average of seven days of doses administered in the country has been above two million a day.
As the number of vaccines increases, more state leaders are loosening the requirements for who can get the vaccine.
In Indiana, teachers and caregivers of children can be vaccinated as of Monday, according to Dr. Lindsay Weaver, chief physician of the state’s health department.
The state also added several high-risk illnesses to the list of eligible comorbidities, including early childhood illnesses that carry over into adulthood, and Weaver added that state plans gradually expand vaccine eligibility for those 40-49 years old .
“If the supply allows, the vaccine’s eligibility should be open to all adults in April,” Governor Brian Kemp’s office said in a statement.
The Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer is the only one available for use by people aged 16 and over, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are restricted to people aged 18 and over.
New guidelines on nursing homes
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued guidance in collaboration with the CDC and reported that more than three million doses of vaccine have been administered so far in nursing homes.
The guidance allows internal visitation regardless of the resident or visitor’s vaccination status, with some exceptions.
For example, visits may be limited to residents with Covid-19 or who are quarantined or for unvaccinated residents living in facilities where less than 70% of residents are fully vaccinated, in a county that has a Covid positivity rate -19 greater than 10%.
The guidance says that “compassionate care” visits – including visits to residents whose health may have markedly worsened – should be allowed at all times.
Facilities, residents and families are still recommended to maintain physical distance and try to visit outdoors, if possible.
“The CMS recognizes the psychological, emotional and physical effects that prolonged isolation and separation from the family has affected nursing home residents and their families,” said CMS medical director, Dr. Lee Fleisher, in a statement.
“That’s why, now that millions of vaccines have been administered to residents and nursing home staff, and the number of COVID cases in nursing homes has dropped significantly, the CMS is updating its visitation guidelines to bring more families together safely.”
CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Elizabeth Stuart, Gisela Crespo and Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.