US Coronavirus: In race between Covid-19 vaccines and virus, hesitation gives dangerous variants an edge, expert says

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“I’m afraid we’re starting to get to that point – which we always knew existed somewhere on the horizon – where supply would exceed demand,” said epidemiologist Dr. Abdul El-Sayed against CNN on Sunday.

Now, said El-Sayed, officials should focus on spreading important messages to those populations about why the vaccines are safe, effective, and “absolutely necessary.” Experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, estimate that somewhere between 70% and 85% of the population must be immune – either through vaccination or previous infection – to keep the virus in check.

So it’s critical to continue building the country’s protections now and overcome obstacles such as hesitation, experts say – especially as regards variants circulating in the US.

A quarter of Americans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, CDC says
“As we slow down – if we slow down – because of (vaccine) hesitation, it gives more and more time for worrying variants, particularly B.1.1.7 that has plagued states like Michigan, to spread further and from potential new spikes in local communities, ”said El-Sayed.

“It’s always been a race between the vaccines and the variants, and hesitation slows that vaccine leg,” he added.

According to data from the CDC, the highly contagious variant B.1.1.7, first spotted in the UK, has been reported in all 50 US states. It is now the dominant strain of coronavirus in the country.

Expert urges young people to get vaccinated

Some experts are also beginning to raise concerns about younger groups and how likely they are to be vaccinated against the virus.

According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University, 36% of adults under the age of 35 said they don’t plan on getting a Covid-19 vaccine – a result that is repeated over and over in poll data.
Younger Americans vaccinate the least

Dr. Jayne Morgan, the clinical director of the Piedmont Healthcare Covid Task Force in Atlanta, said on CNN on Sunday that she is concerned about how the virus is currently affecting younger groups.

Much of the country’s over-65s – who were prioritized over vaccines for younger Americans – have already been vaccinated, and now officials are seeing a shift in the demographics of Covid-19 cases “to a younger and younger age group,” Morgan said. .

“We have to start taking this seriously,” she said.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky also said recently that the increase in Covid-19 cases and emergency room visits in the US is mainly among younger adults, “most of whom have not yet been vaccinated.”

And officials in Michigan, in the midst of a new violent wave, have also said their hospitals are filling up with younger residents.

“It’s really being presented in all of our ERs and frankly in our clinical departments,” said John Fox, CEO of Beaumont Health, on CNN Saturday. “We’re treating younger patients than we’ve ever seen.”

A health worker fills a syringe with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in Blandon, Pennsylvania, on April 14, 2021

US awaits a decision on J & J’s shot

Meanwhile, as officials work to get as many shots as possible in arms as soon as possible, the country is awaiting a major decision.

CDC vaccine advisers have delayed the decision on the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine
Officials from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration last week recommended a break from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in six reported cases of a “rare and serious” type of blood clot, among more than 6.8 million Americans who took the injection.

Vaccine advisers to the CDC, who previously delayed a decision to get more information, will meet again on April 23 to answer the question of whether the J&J vaccine causes blood clots and, if so, what to do about it.

Fauci told CNN on Sunday that he expects a decision on the J&J vaccine will be made by then.

“I don’t want to get ahead of the CDC and the FDA and the advisory committee, but I imagine what we’ll see is it would come back and it would come back in some sort of warning or restriction,” Fauci said.

If you've recently had the J&J vaccine, keep an eye out for these rare symptoms, the CDC says

“I think we’ll get it back somehow,” he added. “But what I know for sure, I hope we don’t see anything that extends beyond Friday. We have to make a decision on Friday, somehow.”

Fauci – like other health officials – said the break was important so that experts can gather all the necessary data to inform their decision.

“I think based on six (cases) I assume that you know everything that’s going on with this, I think it wouldn’t be wise,” Fauci said. “That’s why they took a break.”

CNN’s Naomi Thomas, Maggie Fox and Harry Enten contributed to this report.

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