US Coronavirus: The US has just seen its daily case count drop since October. But this is where the experts are still concerned

US Coronavirus: The US has just seen its daily case count drop since October. But this is where the experts are still concerned

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Although more than 64,900 new infections were reported on Sunday, it was the lowest case count in the country since October. Last month, reported infections were reaching 200,000 a day.

And California, one of the states most affected by the pandemic, reported the lowest daily increase in cases since the beginning of November. This occurs amid a steady decline not only in new infections, but also in hospitalizations and deaths.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported a decline in infection and hospitalization rates, saying the state was already past a “post-holiday increase”.

“If we are able to maintain momentum in a positive direction, practicing safe behaviors on an individual level, as well as continuing to vaccinate New Yorkers as quickly and just as possible, we will be able to reach the light at the end of the tunnel faster than that we thought and finally have a little bit of normality back in our lives, “said Cuomo in a statement on Monday.

It’s good news to see the Covid-19 numbers going in the right direction. But the numbers are still high.

And experts fear that if Americans let their guard down – especially now with variants circulating – there may be another increase.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to recommend that Americans avoid traveling if they can, the past weekend was one of the busiest for air travel in more than a month, with more than four million people flying since Thursday. .

“The only thing that worries me now is that we have this variant from the UK … and it seems to be accelerating in the United States,” Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told the CNN on Monday.

CDC data show that more than 1,100 cases of the highly contagious variant B.1.1.7 – first detected in the UK – have been reported in the USA. The agency has already warned that the strain will grow rapidly in early 2021 and is likely to become the predominant variant in March.

“New cases are dropping now, down from 100,000 new confirmed cases per day, that’s great news,” added Hotez. “But I am concerned that we are going to start seeing an increase again.”

Climate adds another challenge to vaccine plans

And while officials are working to vaccinate more Americans, winter storms are delaying the process in parts of the country.

In Texas, Dallas County officials announced they would close the Fair Park vaccination site until Wednesday because of bad weather.

“We understand the urgency of administering a second dose of the vaccine, but we must also balance people’s safety,” officials said in a press release. “As soon as we can open it safely again, we will.”

Missouri Governor Mike Parson said the mass vaccination events planned until Friday were canceled due to the severe weather that “makes driving dangerous and threatens the health and safety of anyone exposed to the cold”.

In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear said that while the weather “will slow down our vaccinations”, he hopes the state will be able to make up for the delays next week.

Storms have caused disruptions as states continue to grapple with other vaccine challenges, including scarce supplies and inequalities in distribution.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on Monday that while progress in vaccine hesitation and equity among members of the Latin community was “encouraging”, the state was still seeing a “substantial disparity in vaccine administration between communities Hispanic and non-Hispanic “.

He added that the state still needs more supply from the federal government to be able to meet the growing demand.

“When we get to the point where we can expand the supply and have that supply, we need people to feel comfortable getting the vaccine,” said the governor.

Most children are in red zones according to CDC school reopening guidelines

While vaccines are increasing, many parts of the country continue to show high levels of transmission from Covid-19.

In fact, about 89% of children live in a county considered a red zone under the new CDC school reopening guidelines, shows a CNN analysis of federal data.

Red, or “high transmission” communities, are defined by the CDC as counties where there were at least 100 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people or a test positivity rate of at least 10% in the past seven days.

But even in communities where there is high transmission, the agency says its new guidelines provide strategies for schools to continue face-to-face learning.

“At all levels of community broadcast, the strategy offers options for personal instruction,” a CDC spokesman told CNN in an email on Monday. “It is not that we are saying that schools that are open must close because they are in ‘red’ municipalities. Our recommendation is that schools in red areas can actually offer face-to-face instruction, as long as they are strictly implementing mitigation and monitoring cases in the school community. ”

The agency’s guidelines, released on Friday, focus on five Covid-19 mitigation strategies: the universal and correct use of masks; physical distance; wash hands; cleaning facilities and improving ventilation; and contact, isolation and quarantine tracking. It also offers different strategies based on how much transmission is in the surrounding community.

Some experts also said that vaccinating teachers should be essential for returning to school. The director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, recently told CNN that, although she advocates that teachers receive their vaccines, “we do not believe that it is a prerequisite for the reopening of schools.”

As of Monday, two more states – Alaska and North Dakota – have begun to allow all or some teachers and school officials to start receiving their vaccines, bringing the total to 28 states plus Washington, DC.

CNN’s Cheri Mossburg, Deidre McPhillips, Jacqueline Howard, Maria Cartaya, Amanda Watts, Rebekah Riess, Keith Allen, Pete Muntean, Yon Pomrenze, Evan Simko-Bednarski, Elizabeth Stuart, Michael Nedelman and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.

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