Theories behind the reduction of infections in England 2:01
(CNN) - The
United States faces a crucial moment in the battle against coronavirus, as vaccination rates remain stubbornly low in some places and the delta variant is accelerating the rise in covid-19 cases: we must do everything possible to increase vaccinations or risk worsening the impacts of the pandemic.
"If we want to keep our children in school, if we want to protect the economy, if we want our country to overcome this pandemic, we must leave no stone unturned to ensure that people are vaccinated," said the director general of Health of USA, Dr. Vivek Murthy, to CNN's Anderson Cooper.
Faced with the increase in new cases in 48 states, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, President Joe Biden announced Thursday that all federal employees, except the military, must attest to being vaccinated against COVID-19 or face strict protocols. which include testing once or twice a week, use of masks and other mitigation measures.
The data already shows the difference between areas with high and low vaccination rates.
Average hospitalization rates are nearly three times higher in states that have fully vaccinated less than half of their residents compared to those that have vaccinated more than half of their residents, according to a CNN analysis of federal data. .
And COVID-19 case and death rates over the past week are more than double among states that have vaccinated less than half of their residents, on average.
With only 49.4% of Americans fully vaccinated, Dr. Jerome Adams, former Chief Health Officer, said Thursday that he anticipates more restrictions as the delta variant continues to spread.
And with some masking and vaccination commands already in place, Murthy anticipates more will be added.
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ANALYSIS |
Biden Opens New Front in Covid-19 Vaccination War As Delta Variant Concerns Deepen
"The private sector is already stepping up the creation of verification systems," Murthy said.
"What we're going to see more and more, Anderson, in the coming weeks and months is, I think, more universities, more hospitals, more companies, more retail establishments looking to set rules to require people to get vaccinated."
Those kinds of mandates can make a difference in motivating Americans to get vaccinated, Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said Thursday.
Jha said other measures will help the United States manage transmission in the short term, but vaccination mandates will be part of the long-term solution.
"I wish we had done these mandates a month earlier," Jha added.
"They would have made a bigger difference, but even doing it now will help."
They reinforce anticovid-19 measures in the United States 2:57
The enemy is the delta variant, says a governor
Not only is the variant believed to be much more transmissible than other strains, but an internal report submitted to the CDC indicates that it can cause more serious disease and can be easily transmitted by vaccinated as well as unvaccinated people when it causes post-vaccination infections.
The document, a slideshow first obtained by
The Washington Post
, appears to provide some data to support the controversial decision by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky to change the agency's guidance on wearing masks. .
He says the delta variant is as transmissible as chickenpox, and each infected person, on average, infects eight or nine others.
The original lineage was as transmissible as the common cold, and each infected person transmitted the virus to two other people on average.
Some states are watching the consequences of the virus spread unfold.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that he would restore the public health emergency due to the increase in covid cases.
"Whenever there is a shortage of staff in the hospital (s). Whenever, today I believe, there are four covid patients who are waiting in ambulances to be able to find a hospital to go to. That constitutes an emergency and a crisis public health, "Hutchinson said.
In Central Florida, Advent Health said it had about 1,000 COVID-19 patients as of Thursday, topping the January peak of about 900, according to a news release.
'I'm furious with myself': unvaccinated covid patient describes grueling disease
In West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice said the state's covid-19 task force will begin evaluating the state's protective teams and hospital and nursing home readiness.
Justice said the state will work with Pfizer to conduct a "battlefield assessment" on the efficacy of the vaccine's antibodies in fighting the delta variant.
"The enemy is closing in, and the enemy is this delta variant," Justice said.
Experts weigh in on prospects for booster vaccines
New York will pay those who get vaccinated against covid-19 0:37
Amid the surge, the conversation has turned to whether boosters will be needed to improve the vaccine's protection, but many experts say the time for that is still far off.
"Booster shots are coming, better guidance on who needs serologic tests, when to check for antibodies, which ones to check, all of that will come," said Dr. Joseph Kanter, a state health official for the Louisiana Department of Health during a call from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).
"I don't think it will change anything about what we have to do at the moment, which is primarily to increase the base of the generally vaccinated population."
Dr. Nirav Shah, president of ASTHO and director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, agreed.
"To be honest with you, right now, I'm really focused on giving people the first dose, rather than the third dose," Shah said.
ANALYSIS |
Vaccination mandates are politically risky, but they can work
Any decision on a booster dose depends on more data, Dr. Paul Offit, a prominent member of the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) vaccine advisory committee, told CNN on Thursday.
The US may find out in late summer or early fall, Murthy said.
"We have been tracking more than 20 cohorts across the country, looking for evidence of when immunity may decrease and when infections may increase," he said.
If the time comes when reinforcements are needed, the Americans will be able to get them "in a fast and efficient manner," White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said Thursday.
CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas, Hannah Sarisohn, Maggie Fox and John Bonifield, Shawn Nottingham, Deidre McPhillips, Rosa Flores, Kay Jones and Virginia Langmaid contributed to this report.
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