They will reinfect survivors of covid-19 to see what happens 0:30
(CNN) -
Experts say that vaccination against COVID-19 in the US continues at an impressive rate, and now all Americans age 16 and older can receive a vaccine.
But a prominent health official said the country remains in a "difficult stage."
"More people in the United States are vaccinated every day at an accelerating rate," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a covid-19 briefing on Monday. 19 at the White House.
"On the other hand, cases and hospitalizations are increasing in some areas of the country and cases are also increasing among young people who have not yet been vaccinated."
In the past seven days, the US reported an average of more than 67,000 new COVID-19 infections a day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
That's almost a 25% increase from the seven-day average a month ago.
Experts say there are several reasons behind the spike in covid-19 numbers, including dangerous variants of the coronavirus, such as the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain that has helped fuel another surge in Michigan.
Pandemic fatigue and more Americans on the move have also likely contributed to the increase.
"People are tired," Matthew Budd, director of Personal and Preventive Health Services in Jackson County, Michigan, told CNN over the weekend.
"We've been through all these confinements, we've been locked up and… now that it's warmer, people say 'You know, we're tired, we want to be outside, we want to be around other people.'
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John Fox, CEO of Beaumont Health, Michigan's largest healthcare system, also recently told CNN that it didn't help that states, including Michigan, have eased covid-19 restrictions.
Also, Fox said, some people have strayed from security measures that help slow the spread of the virus.
"I think people have given up their infection control problems, they don't wear their masks as much as they should, social distancing, hand hygiene," Fox said.
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What the CDC now recommends for the J&J vaccine
So far, more than 132 million Americans, almost 40% of the population, have received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine and more than 85 million, approximately 25.7% of the population, are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
After US officials recommended a pause in the J&J vaccine last week, the CDC is now recommending that people who experience certain new symptoms after receiving that injection seek immediate medical treatment.
These may include a sudden and severe headache, back pain, new neurological symptoms, severe abdominal pain, shortness of breath, swelling of the legs, small red spots on the skin, and new or easy bruising.
The recommendation to pause came after six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot among more than 6.8 million Americans who received the J&J vaccine.
While the vaccine is still licensed, the pause gives scientists time to review the data and determine if the vaccine is really related to blood clots and, if so, whether the recommendations about who should get it should change.
The CDC says any adverse reactions should be reported through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
Johnson & Johnson states that blood clots have been recorded with all vaccines.
Author of the study they cite says they are wrong
Walensky said Monday that the agency is looking at a "handful" of reported adverse events after the use of the J&J vaccine that were reported through the system.
"These have been a few cases, not an overwhelming number of cases," he said.
"We are working and adjudicating them and verifying if in fact they reflect a real case."
After postponing a decision last week, CDC vaccine advisers will meet again on Friday to address the question of whether the J&J vaccine causes blood clots and, if that is the case, what to do about it.
Universities will require covid-19 vaccines in the fall
Meanwhile, a growing number of colleges and universities in the US are announcing that they will require COVID-19 vaccinations for students returning to campus in the fall.
More than 40 have already announced the requirement, according to a CNN tally.
Yale University officials said in a letter to the university community on Monday that all undergraduate, graduate and professional school students are expected to be vaccinated before arriving on campus.
If they cannot receive a vaccination before they return, the university said it will help arrange for the vaccination.
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"Although the course of the covid-19 pandemic over the next few months remains uncertain, vaccination is the most powerful tool to prevent transmission of the virus," said a letter from Yale University President Peter Salovey and the Chancellor, Scott Strobel.
"There is abundant evidence of the effectiveness of vaccines and growing confidence that vaccines will be widely available in early summer," the letter adds.
Columbia University made a similar announcement Monday, saying it will help provide vaccines to students who have not been vaccinated.
“We believe this decision is essential to ensure the health of Columbia students and the university in general and the surrounding community, and also to contain the spread of the virus in New York City, one of the most severely affected places in the world. country over the past 13 months, ”read a letter from Columbia's senior executive vice president, Gerry Rosberg, and the university's COVID director, Donna Lynne.
The university said it has sites that offer Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against COVID-19.
Another ban on vaccine passports
The university's announcements come amid ongoing debates in different parts of the country about whether vaccinations should be mandatory in certain spaces.
The debate is mainly focused on the so-called vaccine passport, which is just proof that a person has been immunized against covid-19.
On Monday, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order banning vaccine passports and preventing state and local governments from requiring residents to provide their COVID-19 vaccination status in order to receive a service or enter a determined area.
Some countries want to establish a "covid passport" for people vaccinated against covid-19.
These are their proposals
"The government should not require residents of our state to share their private health information," the governor said in a statement.
“While we strongly recommend that all Arizona residents receive the covid-19 vaccine, it is not mandated in our state, and it never will be.
Vaccination is up to the individual, not the government. '
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also banned passport use of the covid-19 vaccine in the state, citing concerns for freedom and privacy.
"It is completely unacceptable for the government or the private sector to require you to show proof of vaccine to simply be able to participate in normal society," DeSantis said previously.
CNN's Deidre McPhillips, Elizabeth Stuart, Maggie Fox, Virginia Langmaid, and Ryan Prior contributed to this report.
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