Variant of covid-19 attacks young people 2:46
(CNN) -
Experts have made it clear: to overcome the covid-19 pandemic, the United States must be vaccinated.
And that includes younger Americans, some of whom are still vaccinated or may think they don't have much to worry about viruses.
Everyone over the age of 16 can now be vaccinated against covid-19.
However, a recent Quinnipiac University survey revealed that 36% of adults under the age of 35 do not plan to get the vaccine.
Myths about the covid-19 vaccine: these reasons for not getting the vaccine don't hold up
Now, there are several reasons why it is important for young groups to get vaccinated.
When Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warned earlier this month of an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, that increase occurred predominantly among younger adults….
Most of whom had not been vaccinated.
Despite the push to advance vaccination, state and local leaders are seeing a decline in demand.
As a result, they have asked vaccine manufacturers to reduce the size of the vials and the amount that is distributed.
Some experts estimate that to contain the spread of the virus, between 70% and 85% of the US population must be immune.
So far, about 43% of the country has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and about 29.5% are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.
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The more people are vaccinated, the fewer opportunities the virus has both to be transmitted and to continue mutating.
And we already know what those mutations can mean.
For example, a variant of coronavirus, which became the dominant strain in the US, helped fuel recent increases in covid-19 in several states, including Michigan.
This strain, variant B.1.1.7, is more contagious and especially affects young people.
And there is another important reason why young people should not reject the vaccine: the long-term consequences of COVID-19.
Children are getting more and more covid-19 1:01
"A critical way to prevent covid in the long term is to prevent the disease itself," said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this Wednesday at a hearing at the Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce of the Chamber of Representatives.
"Even for young people who consider their risk for severe COVID-19 to be low, the long-term consequences can be quite severe," he added.
"So long-term covid-19 is one more reason to encourage everyone over 16 to get vaccinated as soon as possible," he insisted.
What's more, those long-lasting symptoms can develop even in people who have mild cases of Covid-19.
Americans have reported dozens of persistent symptoms that last for months after their infection, including fatigue, headaches, memory loss, gastrointestinal problems, muscle aches, heart palpitations, and loss of smell or taste.
Pharmacy clerk administers Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 25, 2021
"How many people will have to die?"
In an attempt to encourage young people to get vaccinated, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said the state will offer a savings bond of $ 100 to every person between the ages of 16 and 35 who gets vaccinated.
"West Virginia citizens ages 16 to 35 are transmitting this thing faster than anyone," the governor noted.
How many people are we going to have to put in the body bags?
How many people will have to die? ”He asked.
The governor said that approximately 52% of the state's eligible population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and their goal is to reach more than 70% of eligible residents fully vaccinated.
That, he said, will mean "we can get rid of the masks and go back to normal life."
"Our young people have had to step up many times over the years in West Virginia," said the Governor.
«Most of the time they got up to go to war.
I am not asking you to go to war.
I am asking you to do something that could well save your life, or save the lives of your mother, your father, your grandparents and all your loved ones, "he insisted.
Governors present ideas to return to normality
Other governors have chosen to encourage vaccination by proposing a deadline to return to normality.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Luján Grisham announced Wednesday that the state will remove most of its pandemic-related restrictions on business activities when 60% of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated.
State officials say that could be in late June.
“I believe that New Mexico, sometime in June, will have fully vaccinated enough of our state that we can remove these restrictions and guidelines and instead move into a new, simpler phase, from struggling to finally monitoring the pandemic, "said the governor in a statement.
“We are close and ever closer.
But it all depends on New Mexicans continuing to get vaccinated when appropriate, "he added.
Illinois will not eliminate mandatory use of face masks 0:42
In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper suspended the order on the use of face masks outdoors, saying the state expects this requirement to be lifted indoors once two-thirds of adults receive at least one dose of the vaccine.
About half of the state's adults have already been vaccinated with the first dose, he said.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan also suspended the state's outdoor mask order, saying he hopes to take "additional action" in the coming weeks as more people get vaccinated and Covid-19 statistics improve. .
"The fastest way to put this pandemic behind us once and for all is for all eligible Maryland residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible," Hogan said.
The governors' announcements come after the CDC this week issued new guidelines on wearing face masks abroad for fully vaccinated Americans.
The agency said that people who have their full vaccination can remove the mask in small outdoor gatherings or when eating outdoors with friends from different homes.
The CDC notes that unvaccinated people should continue to wear face protection.
What a new study shows about vaccines
CDC and government authorities continue to highlight the effectiveness of vaccines.
According to a new CDC study, Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines were found to be 94% effective against COVID-19 hospitalization among fully vaccinated adults 65 and older in the United States.
That study also found that vaccines were 64% effective among older adults who were partially vaccinated.
This means that they had only received one dose of the vaccines so far.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reduce risk of covid-19 hospitalization by 94% among older adults, according to CDC
Researchers at the CDC and other institutions noted that these results are consistent with those from clinical trials of the vaccines.
These show an efficiency of between 94% and 95%.
"Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective and these real-world results confirm the benefits seen in clinical trials as they prevent hospitalizations among the most vulnerable," Walensky said in a press release Wednesday.
“The results are promising for our communities and hospitals.
As our vaccination efforts continue to expand, COVID-19 patients will not overwhelm healthcare systems, leaving hospital staff, beds and services available to people who need them for other medical conditions, "he added .
Ryan Prior, Jacqueline Howard, Rebekah Riess, Jamiel Lynch, Andy Rose and Hannah Sorisohn, all from CNN, contributed to this report.
Young adults vaccine against covid-19
