US Coronavirus: Here’s What May Help US See Covid-19 Turnover Soon, Fauci Says

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“Don’t prematurely declare victory,” says Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“We see so many people pulling back on some public health measures: the mask mandates, the opening of the restaurant, the bars. We can’t do that. We have to wait until we get enough vaccine for people. That we will clear every wave. attenuate. “

If the US continues to vaccinate quickly and doubles down on safety measures, there could be a “turnaround” soon, Fauci said.

One of the biggest challenges is the B.1.1.7 strain, which is more contagious than the original coronavirus strain and is now the dominant strain in the US.
B.1.1.7 also hits young people particularly hard.

To try to get out of this pandemic, “it still involves masks and physical distance, ventilation and vaccines,” said emergency physician Dr. Megan Ranney, director of the Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health in Rhode Island.

“Current vaccines work very well against B.1.1.7.”

Coronavirus variants are behind alarming trends in several states, including Michigan, which local officials say is in the midst of a new wave, with both cases and hospital admissions soaring.
B.1.1.7 variant is more transmissible but does not increase disease severity, new studies suggest
The state has the second highest number of cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state with the highest number of cases of the variant is Florida.

In New Jersey, where more than 950 cases of affected variants have been reported, the number of patients on ventilators and virus-related deaths has increased, state health commissioner Judy Persichilli said Monday.

About 48% of new hospital admissions in the state were people under 60, she added.

FDA recommends pausing the J&J vaccine

The CDC and the US Food and Drug Administration are recommending the United States to discontinue use of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine for “six reported US cases of a rare and serious type of blood clot,” the agencies said in a statement .
CDC and FDA recommend US discontinue use of Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine over concerns about blood clots

All six cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred six to 13 days after vaccination, according to a statement Tuesday by agency officials.

“The CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance,” the statement said.

“The FDA will revise that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are cautiously recommending a break in the use of this vaccine. This is important in part to ensure that the healthcare provider community is in place. aware of the potential for these side effects and can plan for appropriate recognition and treatment because of the unique treatment required for this type of blood clot. ”

The Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are extremely safe and effective and are still widely distributed.

The US is on track to hit a major milestone in vaccination

The good news is that the number of vaccinations is increasing rapidly.

According to data from the CDC, more than 120 million Americans – about 36.4% of the population – have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. About 74 million people – about 22.3% of the US population – are fully vaccinated.
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According to a CNN analysis of CDC data, the US is on track to reach half of the adult US population with at least one dose by the end of the week.

At least eleven states have already reached that threshold: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear announced a new “Team Kentucky Vaccination Challenge,” saying that once 2.5 million residents have received at least their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, the state will lift most of its capacity constraints.

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“With the vaccine stock we have, we can get there in three and a half weeks,” Beshear said in a press release. “That minimum time frame may not be realistic, but we should be there in four to six weeks if we are intentional.”
More than 1.6 million residents have received at least their first dose of vaccine so far, the release said. Kentucky has about 4.5 million residents.

“We must try everything to get to this point as soon as possible. That will help us have a more normal summer than we could have imagined this winter,” added the governor.

What Fauci says about indoor and outdoor dining

Fauci, who has been fully vaccinated, was asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer if he would consider eating outside.
You are now vaccinated, so can you go to a restaurant? What you should know

Fauci said that while he’s been too busy lately to do that, “in an open-air restaurant, right now, where we are, I wouldn’t hesitate to do that.”

And what about indoor dining for Americans who are fully vaccinated?

“What you need to do is look at the level of infection in the community,” Fauci said.

“Getting vaccinated is very low risk for you. It’s not like before, when you were not vaccinated and you had a lot of activity in the community and you entered an indoor restaurant where there were no (restrictions) … your risk would be above that, while the risk is now not zero, but it is extremely low “if you are fully vaccinated.

More universities will need vaccine proof

To reduce the risks of Covid-19 on their campuses, a growing number of colleges and universities have said they will require all students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before returning to campus.

Johns Hopkins University, in Maryland, is the last to make the list.

A growing number of American colleges and universities are demanding that students receive Covid-19 vaccinations

All students planning to be on campus should be vaccinated unless they have a medical or religious reason not to do so and the faculty is also highly recommended to get vaccinated although it is not required for them , according to an announcement sent to the campus community on Friday.

“Our plans are based on continuing public health strategies to promote a safe campus and community,” wrote Ronald Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins University and other university leaders.

“Ensuring that the overwhelming percentage of our community’s population is vaccinated will significantly reduce the risk of spreading the virus across our campuses and will also protect our Baltimore neighbors,” she added.

According to the CNN census, there are at least 18 colleges and universities in the US that need Covid-19 vaccines.

CNN’s Deidre McPhillips, Elizabeth Stuart and Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report.

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