WASHINGTON – Michael Osterholm, a leading epidemiologist who advised President Joe Biden’s transition team on the coronavirus pandemic, said on Sunday that the US with its vaccination program should “ make an audible call ” and prioritize a rush to give a single dose to as many people as possible in anticipation of a likely increase in cases attributed to more contagious mutations of the virus.
Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, told “Meet the Press” that he expects another wave of infections to emerge in the next six to 14 weeks, thanks to the spread of new ones. variants like the one first discovered in the UK. Looking at an increase in hospital admissions in the UK as this new variant spreads, he predicted that a new wave will usher in the US “something we haven’t seen yet in this country.”
“We still want to get two doses in everyone, but I think right now, ahead of this wave, we should get as many one-time doses as possible in as many people over the age of 65 as possible to reduce serious illness and death. will happen in the coming weeks, ”said Osterholm.
Currently, the two coronavirus vaccines approved for emergency use require two doses over a few weeks, but studies show that the vaccines provide significant protection after just one dose. A Johnson & Johnson vaccine candidate, which could be approved in the coming weeks, only needs one dose.
Olsterholm compared the current situation to tracking a hurricane.
‘The hurricane is coming. Because of this wave, we have to ring a beep, ”he said.
“If we get some first doses in people, especially 65 and older, we can really do a lot to reduce the number of serious illnesses and deaths in this next big wave that’s coming.”
The number of daily coronavirus cases has declined in recent days. After eclipsing 200,000 new cases in 15 of the 16 days in early January, the US has reported fewer than 200,000 new cases every day since January 18, according to an analysis by NBC News. But new, daily deaths were near a peak in recent days, exceeding 3,600 in four of the past five days.
According to the NBC News vaccination tracker, health workers in America have administered more than 30 million vaccinations to date.
President Joe Biden even announced a goal before his inauguration to vaccinate 100 million people in 100 days. But America reached that pace in the closing days of the Trump administration, and last week Biden said he believes America could soon be administering 1.5 million vaccinations a day, a rate Bloomberg reports met three times in the past week. .
Still, vaccine rollouts have been chaotic at times, with states reporting shortages and many Americans expressing frustration with their availability in their communities. Public health officials are hopeful that new vaccines, such as the one being developed by Johnson & Johnson, along with more production from currently available injections, can speed up the distribution process.