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One year of pandemic: the US continues to have too high numbers of covid-19

2021-03-11T17:04:53.937Z


The CDC director said that although infections, deaths and hospitalizations are decreasing, the numbers are still too high to lower our guard.


The relevant dates of the first year of the pandemic 1:16

(CNN) -

Since the World Health Organization declared the spread of the new coronavirus a pandemic a year ago, more than 29 million cases have been reported in the United States alone.

The virus plunged the United States into pain and crisis.

Several rounds of violent waves of infections led state and local leaders from coast to coast to order security restrictions, in some cases curfews, in hopes of slowing the spread of this invisible enemy.

Waves of COVID-19 patients paralyzed health systems.

The spikes in deaths prompted some communities to call in mobile units to support their morgues.

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 WWI and WWII combined.

And the death toll increases by the thousands every week.

Now, the country is at a turning point.

The number of cases, after stabilizing at high levels, may begin to decline again, said the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English), Dr. Rochelle Walensky, during a session. briefing at the White House on Wednesday.

Average hospital admissions and deaths from Covid-19 also decreased over the past week, he added.

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"While these trends are beginning to go in the right direction, the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths remains too high and are grim reminders that we must remain vigilant as we work to expand our vaccination efforts across the country," he said. Walensky.

So far, nearly one in 10 Americans has been fully vaccinated, a number that is still too low to suppress the spread of the virus.

And some experts have warned that another possible spike could occur in a few weeks, fueled by a highly contagious variant that is spreading across the country.

What will help now, as the country works to increase its vaccination numbers, are the precautions that have been touted by officials for months: wearing masks, physical distancing, avoiding crowds, washing hands.

And it's especially crucial, experts say, that Americans heed this guidance, even as more governors announce it's time to start loosening covid-19 restrictions and paving the way for a return to normalcy.

Experts have pointed out that we are not there yet.

"We must continue to use proven prevention measures to slow the spread of covid-19," added Walensky.

"They are bringing us closer to the end of this pandemic."

  • This March 11 marks a year of pandemic: chronology of the covid-19

This photo shows people on the red steps in Time Square amid the coronavirus pandemic, on March 9, 2021, in New York City.

The guide for fully vaccinated people will evolve with more data

For Americans who have been fully vaccinated, the new guidance released by the CDC earlier this week marks a small first step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the agency director and other colleagues wrote in a JAMA article. Viewpoint, released Wednesday.

"As the supply of vaccines increases, and delivery and delivery systems expand and improve, more and more people will be fully vaccinated and eager to resume their pre-pandemic life," wrote Dr. Walensky and officials from the CDC, Sarah Mbaeyi and Athalia Christie.

"Giving vaccinated people the ability to safely visit family and friends is an important step towards better well-being and a significant benefit from vaccination," they added.

The guide will evolve as vaccination numbers rise and more data emerge, officials said, but while many Americans remain unvaccinated, public health precautions remain very important.

"With high levels of community transmission and the threat of worrying variants of SARS-CoV-2, the CDC still recommends a series of prevention measures for all people, regardless of vaccination status," they wrote.

In its new guide, the agency didn't update its travel recommendations - the CDC still says people should delay travel and stay home.

“What we have seen is that we have waves after people start traveling.

We saw it after July 4, we saw it after Labor Day, we saw it after the Christmas break, ”Walensky said at the briefing.

“Currently, 90% of people are still unprotected and have not yet been vaccinated.

Therefore, we are eager to update this guide, as we have more protection in the communities and throughout the population.

  • Pfizer Vaccine Prevents Asymptomatic Covid-19 and Death, Real-World Data From Israel Shows

Alejandro Cané: Pfizer vaccine neutralizes covid-19 variants 1:36

More than 2 million vaccines are administered daily in the U.S.

More than 62 million Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data.

Approximately 32.9 million are fully vaccinated.

And for more than a week, the average number of doses given in seven days in the country has been above two million a day.

As vaccination numbers rise, more state leaders are easing requirements on who can get vaccinated.

In Indiana, teachers and child care workers can get vaccinated starting Monday, according to Dr. Lindsay Weaver, medical director for the state Department of Health.

The state has also added several high-risk conditions to the list of eligible comorbidities, including conditions from early childhood that carry on into adulthood, and Weaver added that state plans gradually expand vaccine eligibility alongside individuals. from 40 to 49 years old.

At least 47 states plus the nation's capital, Washington, are allowing teachers and school personnel to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

By next Monday, teachers will be eligible in all 50 states.

In Georgia, officials announced that the state will expand its vaccine eligibility starting March 15 to include people 55 and older, as well as people with disabilities and certain medical conditions.

"Provided supply permits, vaccine eligibility is expected to be open to all adults in April," the Governor's Office Brian Kemp said in a statement.

Other states also announced increased eligibility for vaccines this week, including Alaska, which made the most progress in making vaccines available to everyone living or working in the state who is at least 16 years old.

It is the first state in the country to do so.

The Pfizer vaccine is the only one available for use by people over the age of 16, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are restricted to people over the age of 18.

Vaccination rate in the US increases notably 24:00

New Guide to Nursing Homes

This week, a new nursing home guide was also released to safely expand visitation.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the guide in collaboration with the CDC and reported that more than three million doses of vaccines have been administered in nursing homes so far.

The guide allows visits in closed places regardless of the vaccination status of the resident or visitor, with some exceptions.

For example, visits may be limited to residents with COVID-19 or who are in quarantine, or to unvaccinated residents who live in facilities where fewer than 70% of residents are fully vaccinated, in a county that has a rate of covid-19 positivity greater than 10%.

The guide says "compassionate care" visits, including visits for residents whose health may have drastically deteriorated, should be allowed at all times.

Facilities, residents, and families are encouraged to maintain physical distance and try to visit outdoors, if possible.

"CMS recognizes the psychological, emotional and physical toll that prolonged isolation and separation from family has had on nursing home residents and their families," said Dr. Lee Fleisher, CMS Medical Director, in a statement. .

“That is why, now that millions of vaccinations have been administered to nursing home residents and staff, and the number of covid cases in nursing homes has dropped significantly, CMS is updating its guidance on visits to bring more families together safely.

- CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas, Elizabeth Stuart, Gisela Crespo and Deidre McPhillips contributed to this report.

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Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-03-11

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