US Coronavirus: The country is at the tipping point of another Covid-19 outbreak, says the expert. That’s why security measures remain crucial now

US Coronavirus: The country is at the tipping point of another Covid-19 outbreak, says the expert. That’s why security measures remain crucial now

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But it’s not over yet.

The number of infections, after weeks of decline, now appears to have stabilized at high levels. The United States recorded an average of more than 60,000 cases of Covid-19 a day last week. More than 41,000 people remain hospitalized with the virus across the country, according to the COVID tracking project. And an average of more than 1,700 Covid-19 deaths in the United States have been reported every day for the past seven days.
And the highly contagious variants that are already circulating have experts worried that another Covid-19 spike could occur in just a few weeks. More than 2,700 cases of variants first detected in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – but the agency has warned that this is not the total number of cases in the country, but those that were identified with the help of genomic sequencing.

The vast majority of these cases – at least 2,672 – are the most contagious variant known as B.1.1.7, first detected in the United Kingdom. The variant was found in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC.

“This strain is growing exponentially, it is increasing,” infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist, Dr. Celine Gounder, told CNN on Saturday. “So, we are probably now at the tipping point of another wave.”

Speaking about the dangers of this variant, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, warned CNN on Friday: “that the virus is about to take off in the United States.”

The variants are a big reason why experts have repeatedly warned that now is the time to double the measures that work to stem the spread of the virus – and not to ease Covid-19’s restrictions.

“There are so many reasons why you don’t want to back down now,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci to CNN at the end of last week. “You want to plan that you will be able, within a reasonable time, to back off. But not at a time when we have variants circulating and when you have what looks like a plateau of declining cases.”

Pearl Brewery visitors use marked circles for social distance on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas

These states announced loosened restrictions last week

Despite warnings from health leaders, several state leaders announced that they were easing Covid-19 restrictions.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday that he was removing the mandate from the mask across the state and removing any capacity limits at companies as of March 10.
“Now it’s time to open Texas 100%,” he said.
On the same day, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he was withdrawing all mask mandates from the county and would allow companies to operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced revisions to public health orders on Tuesday, including reducing the 300-person ban on events at banquet centers. On Thursday, he said that when the state reaches 50 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks, all health orders will be suspended.

Meanwhile, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has revealed a series of eased restrictions, including expanded capacity for restaurants, retail, gyms, stadiums and other facilities.

And in Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards has also eased restrictions. Most companies – including restaurants and beauty salons – are now able to operate at 75% capacity, while religious services no longer have capacity limits.

On Friday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey also said he was increasing occupancy limits for companies – including restaurants, gyms and theaters. A similar announcement came from West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, who said restaurants, bars and other businesses, including gyms and museums, could start operating at 100% capacity. Justice also increased the social limit to 100 people.
California says Disneyland and other amusement parks may reopen on April 1
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster issued an executive order on Friday rescinding the face that covers requirements in state government offices, buildings and facilities, as well as restaurants.

Meanwhile, in California, all of the state’s amusement parks, including Disneyland, Magic Mountain and Universal Studios, along with sports and concert venues, will be able to reopen with limited capacity from April 1, the Secretary of Health and Services announced. Human Mark Ghaly on Friday.

“We feel that now is the right time to start reintroducing these activities in some way, and cautiously, slowly and steadily,” said Ghaly.

See how many Americans have been vaccinated

In their announcements for easing restrictions, several state leaders pointed to the growing light at the end of the tunnel and expressed optimism fueled by the increasing numbers of vaccinations.

Number of people hesitant to get the Covid-19 vaccine falling rapidly

But experts warned that the United States probably still has a few months to go before enough Americans are vaccinated to help suppress the spread of the virus. So far, less than 10% of the country’s population has been fully vaccinated.

That’s when the US can achieve collective immunity only through vaccination
More than 57.3 million Americans received at least their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, CDC data show. And more than 29.7 million have already received two doses of a vaccine, according to the data. That is about 9% of the US population.
The country’s vaccination effort has in many ways been a race against time, experts say – as state officials work to get as many shots at the guns as possible before dangerous variants can take over.

Last week, new research offered reassuring news: there is now more evidence that variant B.1.1.7 poses little threat to vaccine effectiveness.

The US can achieve collective immunity until the summer only through vaccinations, according to CNN analyzes

The research, published on Thursday, shows that while the variant may hide a little from the immune system, it is not enough to significantly diminish the value of vaccines – and does not threaten to reinfect people who have recovered from the previous dominant variant of the virus.

“These findings indicate that variant B.1.1.7 is unlikely to be a major concern for current vaccines or an increased risk of reinfection,” the researchers wrote in their report, published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe.

Receiving both doses in a timely manner is “encouraged for maximum effectiveness” in areas where the variant is circulating, the researchers said.

CNN’s Nadia Kounang, Maggie Fox, Cheri Mossburg, Hollie Silverman, Heather Law and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

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