President Biden said Friday that “now is not the time to relax,” and warned that the number of cases and hospitalizations could rise again if new variants of the virus emerge.
Why it matters: Biden, who made the comments after visiting a vaccination site in Houston, reiterated CDC director Rochelle Walensky, who said earlier on Friday that while the US has seen a recent drop in the number of cases and hospitalizations, “these declines follow the highest peak we experienced in the pandemic. “
What they say: “We are monitoring this data very closely to see where it will go in the coming days. But it is important to remember where we are during the pandemic,” Walensky said.
- “Things are weak. Now is not the time to relax restrictions,” she added.
- “I want to be clear: cases, hospitalizations and deaths all remain very high, and the recent shift in the pandemic must be taken extremely seriously.”
For his part, Biden said that cases and hospital admissions can increase again as new variants emerge. “
- And now is not the time to relax. We need to keep washing our hands, stay socially aloof, and for God’s sake wear your mask. It is not a political statement. It’s a patriotic thing to do. “
The big picture: Walensky said the country is currently reporting a 7-day average of 66,350 COVID-19 cases and 2,000 per day, a slight increase from the seven-day averages reported by the CDC earlier this week.
- “The latest data suggests that these declines may be stalling and possibly leveling off at, still, a very high number,” she said.
Go deeper: About 20% of American adults have received the first dose of vaccine, the White House says