US Coronavirus: Reducing Covid-19 Cases Is Best US Can Do To Increase Chances Vaccines Continue To Work, Expert Says

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“The best we can do to increase the likelihood that the vaccine will continue to work as we hope is to reduce cases as much as possible without those reductions occurring as a result of vaccine-based immunity,” Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and immunologist at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, said at an event Tuesday.

The US reported more than 59,500 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday – a far cry from the six-figure totals it reported a month ago. But experts warn that these infection rates are still high and could see another surge if Americans let their guard down.

This is why measures such as masks and social aloofness continue to play a key role, because if the virus continues to circulate at high levels, it is more likely to come into contact with and try to infect people who have been vaccinated, Mina said.

“The more chances we give the virus to come into contact with someone who is immune, the more chances the virus has to find a way to bypass that level of immunity and those antibodies,” added Mina.

Scientists have already identified several variants circulating in the US and are particularly concerned about the B.1.1.7 strain – a highly contagious variant first discovered in the UK. A recent study found that cases of the variant are rapidly increasing in the US and significant transfers may already be taking place.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,270 cases of the variant have been reported in 41 states and Washington, DC. About a third of those cases take place in Florida, the CDC data shows.

But the agency has said that this likely does not represent the total number of cases nationwide, and has recently been working to ramp up its genome sequencing efforts to identify variants.

On Tuesday, Quest Diagnostics announced that it was also conducting sequence testing to support the CDC’s efforts to detect mutations, adding that the company had already doubled the amount of genomic sequencing it started performing last month.

Fauci is shifting the vaccine timeline for the American public

The US also faces vaccine challenges.

According to data from the CDC, more than 39 million people have received at least the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine to date. About 15 million people – about 4.5% of the U.S. population – are fully vaccinated, the data shows.

Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN on Tuesday that it may now be mid to late May or early June before vaccines are available to the general population – shifting the timeline from previous estimates that made widespread availability of vaccines around the end of April.

“That was based on the fact that (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) had significantly more doses than we now know they will receive,” Fauci said. “So that timeline will probably be extended to mid to late May and early June.”

CNN has learned that if it gets the go-ahead from the Food and Drug Administration, the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be slower than officials initially expected.

The administration expects millions of single-digit doses of the vaccine if it is approved for emergency use. However, due to a miscommunication about the production timeline, government officials thought the number would rise to between 20 and 30 million doses by April. But now they are expecting less than 20 million doses in April, a government official told CNN.

Separately, President Joe Biden promised on Tuesday that 600 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines would be available to the country by the end of July, “enough to vaccinate every American.”

The president’s pledge follows his announcement earlier this month that the US will have enough vaccines for 300 million Americans by the end of July, using additional vaccine purchases made by the government from Pfizer and Moderna.
“What’s going to happen is it will continue to increase as we go further. We will have reached 400 million doses by the end of May and 600 million by the end of July,” Biden said at a CNN event at City Hall.

More vaccine challenges: inequality, weather and scarcity

Among the other difficulties the US is trying to overcome are inequality in vaccine distribution, freezing weather and a shortage of supply.

New York City officials said Tuesday they were working to combat differences in vaccines against Covid-19, building on efforts aimed at reaching some of the most affected communities in the region.

But newly released data shows “the magnitude of the challenge ahead,” said Dr. Torian Easterling, first deputy commissioner and chief equity officer for the city’s health department.

“A much smaller proportion of the vaccines go to Black and Brown New Yorkers. We’re seeing these geographic differences become apparent too,” Easterling said, adding that the South Bronx, parts of Central Queens and Central Brooklyn, are lagging behind vaccinations.

Cities and states are slowing down the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine due to winter storms
Meanwhile, the fierce winter storms that have unleashed cold and dangerous weather events have now delayed vaccinations across the country.

Ohio government Mike DeWine said on Tuesday that vaccine shipments delivered directly from Pfizer and Moderna to the state’s suppliers could be delayed by one or two days due to weather. In Georgia, health officials said they also expected delays in vaccine arrivals, adding that many health care providers and health departments were forced to reschedule vaccine appointments.

Delivery problems are causing delays for some parts of the country.

Michigan’s Beaumont Health System canceled more than 1,880 second-dose appointments scheduled for Thursday after hearing of an “unexpected and significant reduction” in the state’s Pfizer vaccination allocation, system officials said in a press release.

“The health system is working to automatically reschedule all canceled appointments to a week later at the same time and on the same day of the week, as long as the state supplies enough vaccine,” the press said. “Beaumont is also seeking more clarity from the state on these much-needed second doses.”

Lynn Sutfin, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the state worked with Beaumont Health over the past week to resolve the second dose shortages, adding that it was “ a shame they chose to cancel appointments with the second dose while we continued working with them on this matter. “

CNN’s Amanda Sealy, Kaitlan Collins, Maggie Fox, Chris Boyette, Rebekah Riess, Amanda Watts, Sara Murray, Naomi Thomas and Michael Nedelman contributed to this report.

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