The WHO suggests that the covid-19 would have an animal origin 0:51
(CNN) -
New COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are starting to rise again in the US, one of the country's top health leaders said on Monday.
The latest findings, shared by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), may be just the beginning of what experts have warned for weeks: another wave.
A wave that could come just as the country gets closer to a return to normalcy and officials across the country compete to give as many shots of the covid-19 vaccine as possible.
So far, about 28.6% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine, and about 15.8% are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
“There are still many vulnerable people.
Lots of people will get sick and die unnecessarily when we're this close to the finish line, ”Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told CNN Monday night.
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Jha's comments came as the United States reached another grim milestone: More than 550,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, a death toll far higher than any other country.
Speaking during the White House covid-19 briefing on Monday morning, Walensky said she was "scared" by the direction of the United States and shared her feeling of "impending doom."
I really want it to be over.
I know all of you are so looking forward to it, "he added.
We are almost there, but not yet.
That is why I ask you to wait a little longer, to get vaccinated when you can so that all those people we all love will still be here when this pandemic ends.
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How we got here and what can we do
After a crippling winter wave, the US saw a sharp decline in COVID-19 numbers before hitting a plateau just a few weeks ago, when consistent but still surprisingly high new infections appeared, with tens of thousands of new cases. reported daily.
Experts urged Americans not to be lax with security measures, warning of another possible wave of covid-19 that could occur while many are not yet vaccinated.
But US state and local leaders relaxed restrictions and several removed the masks' mandates.
Meanwhile, spring break crowds packed popular beach destinations and air travel increased, all as variant B.1.1.7, a more contagious and potentially deadly strain, swept across the country.
Now, the trajectory of the pandemic in the US is similar to what some European countries had just a few weeks ago, Walensky said.
Now new lockdowns have been imposed across that continent as countries like France, Italy and Germany battle another devastating wave of infections.
This same week, doctors in Paris warned that their ICUs will likely be overwhelmed by that increase in the next 14 days and hospitals will be forced to choose 'which patients have access to ICUs and which not to save as many lives as possible ».
But the United States is not powerless right now, the CDC director said.
"We can change this trajectory," he added.
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What will be needed, as vaccination figures rise, will be to double the safety measures that have been shown to work: face masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds and washing hands regularly.
“I call on our elected officials, our faith communities, our civic leaders, and our other influencers in communities across the country, and I ask each and every one of you to sound the alarm to carry these messages. in your community and your spheres of influence, ”Walensky said.
“We cannot afford inaction.
For the health of our country, we must work together now to avoid a fourth wave.
More state leaders ease restrictions
Experts across the country have echoed the CDC director's warnings for weeks.
But at least a dozen governors, based on declining COVID-19 numbers and ongoing vaccinations, eased COVID-19 restrictions this month, against guidance from health officials.
More recently, Delaware Governor John Carney announced that he would increase outdoor meeting limits and ease outdoor capacity restrictions beginning Thursday.
"We know that gathering outdoors presents a lower risk of infection and transmission of COVID-19," Carney said in a statement.
"This is why we feel comfortable removing certain outdoor restrictions as we approach spring."
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey will go ahead with her plan to end the state's mask-wearing mandate next week, her spokeswoman told CNN.
“As Governor Ivey has previously stated, the Alabama mask's term ends on April 9.
We have progressed and are moving towards personal responsibility and common sense, not towards endless government mandates, ”said spokeswoman Gina Maiola.
Other state leaders, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, have also removed the mask mandates.
On Monday, President Joe Biden called on leaders across the country to reinstate mask mandates.
“I reiterate my call for all governors, mayors, and local leaders to maintain and re-establish the mask-wearing mandate.
Please, ”he said.
"This is not politics."
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Only one state has not announced vaccination plans for all
Biden also announced Monday that 90% of American adults will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine within the next three weeks, as well as to have a vaccination site within 5 miles of where they live.
The president had previously said that he was directing states to open eligibility to all adults by May 1, but this week he said: "For the great, great majority of adults, they will not have to wait until May 1 to be eligible for their vaccination from April 19 ».
By now, all but one state have announced when they plan to open the vaccines to everyone eligible under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization.
In Arkansas, no announcement has yet been made, but a state health department spokesperson told CNN late last week that they "anticipate hitting the May 1 benchmark."
New York is the latest state to announce plans to vaccinate everyone 16 and older.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday that the expansion will begin on April 6.
Pfizer's covid-19 vaccine is the only one available for people over the age of 16, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are restricted to people over the age of 18.
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Finally, the big news
Amid the alarming trends America continues to see, there is still much to be optimistic about.
Vaccines are being administered in the US at a record rate.
The three vaccines that are distributed in the country seem to work well against variant B.1.1.7.
And in real-world conditions, the Pfizer and Moderna covid-19 vaccines provide highly effective protection, says a new CDC report.
With full vaccination, the vaccines were 90% effective in preventing infections, including infections that had no symptoms.
And at least 14 days after the first dose but before the second dose, they had 80% protection, according to the agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Monday.
The results showing the level of protection of a single dose after two weeks are similar to the findings of other recent studies in the UK and Israel.
But Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNBC on Monday that it is still unknown whether the protection from one dose is long-lasting or strong enough to substitute for the two-dose schedule.
"We don't know how long that 80% lasts," he said.
"It can fall off a cliff in two or three weeks."
CNN's Joe Sutton, Jen Christensen, Jamiel Lynch, Dave Alsup, Ashley Ahn, Jacqueline Howard, and Virginia Langmaid contributed to this report.
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