“Two factors, however, could delay or even reverse the onset of declines,” said the IHME team.
Another important factor, according to the IHME team, is “more behaviors that promote Covid-19 transmission.”
CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen said on Sunday that declining numbers were good news. “But I am also very concerned about these variants because in other countries we have seen what happens when there is an explosive spread of these more contagious variants,” Wen said on CNN’s “Inside Politics.”
“I think it’s really important for us to ramp up vaccinations as much as possible while doing our best to continue masking and physical distance – these other measures that we know are very important in controlling of the spread of infection. ”
In addition to the B.1.1.7 variant, the CDC said on Sunday 17 cases of the B.1.351 Covid strain initially seen in South Africa, in seven states and in Washington, DC. There are also two cases of the P.1 strain first associated with Brazil – one in Minnesota and one in Oklahoma – he said.
The agency said the data does not represent the total number of such cases circulating in the US, but only the cases found by analyzing positive samples.
The debate about reopening schools continues
Walensky acknowledged that “many” provinces remain in a red zone. Schools in red zones should pursue a hybrid model if they are elementary school, she said, while middle and secondary schools either pursue virtual learning or continue a hybrid model if they can adhere to strict physical distance.
Meanwhile, Dr. Wished she found the CDC’s guidance both “good and problematic.”
She liked that the guidelines specifically defined transmission levels for certain mitigation measures. But she criticized other aspects, including the fact that vaccinations are not cited as a “key” strategy for reopening schools. She didn’t understand why the topic was up for discussion.
“If we want students to go to school to learn in person, the least we can do is protect the health and well-being of our teachers,” said Wen, “especially since in parts of the country, teachers are already being forced to resume. going to school in poorly ventilated, tight spaces with many students not always masking and practicing with physical distance. ”
Walensky noted Sunday that guidance from the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee puts teachers in the Phase 1B category for vaccinations.
“I am very much in favor of teachers getting their vaccinations,” she said, “but we do not believe it is a prerequisite for schools to reopen.”
‘One step closer to winning the war’
Despite ongoing concerns, officials hope the continued surge in vaccinations will start to shift the course of the pandemic in a positive direction.
The IHME expects 145 million adults to be vaccinated by June 1, it said in a statement, which would prevent 114,000 deaths.
“Our vaccine offerings are on the rise, the positivity rate is declining and we are getting one step closer to winning the war against COVID every day,” New York government Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Saturday, referring to the vaccinations in New York.
On Sunday, the state had administered 89% of the first dose of vaccines it received from the federal government and 83% of the first and second doses, the governor’s office said.
In California, officials announced that millions of people will be added to the vaccination priority list, including residents “at high risk with developmental and other disabilities” and residents with serious underlying health conditions. The plan, starting in mid-March, expands the ages of eligible individuals aged 65 and over to 16 to 64 who fall into those categories.
A new challenge during the weekend
Some parts of the US face another challenge this weekend that slows vaccinations: winter weather.
Federal officials expect shipments of Covid-19 vaccines to Texas to be delayed this week due to a powerful winter storm, said W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Emergency Management division.
“Our vaccines arriving Sunday, Monday are not likely to arrive until Wednesday, Thursday,” Kidd said Saturday, “so we will see delays in the vaccine entering the state.”
Some local outdoor vaccination facilities also closed before the storm, Kidd added, although the administration of indoor vaccinations will continue “as long as it is still safe to drive there.”
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey declared a state of emergency on Sunday ahead of the expected winter weather. According to a press release from Ivey’s office, the state of emergency will encompass 28 counties.
“Weather permitting and roads remain safe, Alabamians who have plans to get their Covid-19 vaccine should still do so,” the press release said.
Vaccine providers in the state had requested about 170,000 doses this week, but the state was only allocated about 92,000, the department said in a press release. The difference was likely because some health care providers had used vaccine doses as initial doses when they were intended as second doses last month.
That unfortunately means that some of this week’s first doses available should be used instead to complete the two-dose regimen for those individuals.
CNN’s Michael Nedelman, Lauren Mascarenhas, Elizabeth Cohen, Melissa Alonso Rebekah Riess, Hollie Silverman, Stephanie Becker, Cheri Mossburg, Kristina Sgueglia, and Evan Simko-Bednarski contributed to this report.