In the US, 17% of the population is fully vaccinated 0:36
(CNN) -
With growing fears that the United States may be facing a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases, health experts are pleading with Americans to continue to take precautions until they are fully vaccinated.
"Wait until you are fully vaccinated before you travel, before engaging in high-risk activities," said CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen.
"Certainly, when you get vaccinated, activities that were once higher risk will now be lower risk, so wait until then."
Wen said he is concerned that the United States is on the "precipice" of a fourth wave, as data shows that infections are now skewing toward a younger generation.
Dr. Anthony Fauci echoed his sentiments, telling NBC Nightly News that while he himself feels some fatigue from Covid-19, it is important that the US continue to take precautions while vaccinating citizens.
"We need to hold on a little longer and give vaccines a chance to really get the upper hand in this," Fauci said.
"I guarantee you that as we get into late spring and early summer, you will see a gradual return to the degree of normalcy that everyone expects, but we don't want to do it prematurely."
At the top of the list of factors that worry experts is the spread of variants of the coronavirus in the United States.
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Michigan said Thursday it identified its first case of a variant originally found in Brazil, adding to reports of variants spreading across the U.S. That spread, along with relaxation of social distancing and mandates. mask wear in many states helped an influential model increase its prediction of the number of people who will die from the virus by July 1.
Last week, the Institute for Health Evaluation and Metrics at the University of Washington (IHME) predicted that 600,000 people would die in early July, and this week that number reaches 609,000.
"Relatively small changes in behavior can have a profound impact on deaths in the short term," said the IHME.
More than 30.5 million people in the US have been infected with coronavirus and more than 553,000 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
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However, for fully vaccinated Americans who celebrate Easter, the holiday may seem more like that sense of normalcy.
People who have been fully vaccinated are safe to celebrate Easter this Sunday indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For those who are not fully vaccinated, the CDC advised that they stay in their own home to hunt for eggs or enjoy these traditions outdoors while six feet away, according to a series of tweets.
The CDC says they are still learning about how vaccines protect against the coronavirus and warn that fully vaccinated people who go out into the public should still wear masks and take precautions until the agency knows more.
Officials and experts hope that Americans will get vaccinated quickly.
Nearly 154 million doses of the covid-19 vaccine have been applied nationwide, according to CDC data.
30% of the US population, about 99.6 million people, have received at least one dose of vaccine and nearly 17%, about 56 million people, have been fully vaccinated.
The Pfizer vaccine protects for at least 6 months, but could last for years
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Protection offered by the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine remains high for at least six months, the companies said Thursday.
And Wen, speaking on CNN on Friday, described that level of protection as "the floor, definitely not the ceiling."
He added: “Most likely, the protection that the vaccine will provide will last even years.
But we don't know.
'I think there is a possibility that we may need a booster injection.
Maybe booster injections that target new and emerging variants, ”Wen said.
"But I think it's a small price to pay now that we have these safe and very effective vaccines out there."
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Eligibility expands in some states
Protection from those vaccines will soon be available to many more people as states expand their eligibility.
Thursday was the first day that all Connecticut residents age 16 and older were eligible to get vaccinated, Governor Ned Lamont said during a news conference.
Residents made more than 100,000 vaccination appointments, Lamont said, and the state will likely have the supply to beat demand by the end of April.
All Maryland residents age 16 and older were able to pre-register for an appointment at a mass vaccination site Thursday, Gov. Larry Hogan said.
"The first federal mobile vaccination units in the nation arrived at the Maryland Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Reisterstown," the governor said Thursday.
"In the next few days, these 30-foot trailers will be rolled out across the state."
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Maine moved up the date all adults are eligible from April 19 to April 7, Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday.
“While this is a big step forward, Maine people should be aware that it will still take time to get an appointment and get a vaccination.
We will continue to work with vaccine providers throughout Maine to get the injections into the arms as quickly as possible, ”added the Governor.
CNN's Melanie Schuman, Maggie Fox, Ryan Prior, Deidre McPhillips, Anna Sturla, Melissa Alonso, and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.
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