People wait in line to get a vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on the west side of Manhattan, which has been converted into a mass vaccination site in New York City, New York, March 2 2021.
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WASHINGTON – The United States delivered a record number of Covid-19 vaccines over the weekend as public health officials call on state leaders to enforce social distance measures to prevent another wave that could undermine progress in the fight against the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention delivered 2.9 million vaccines on Saturday, a record, and 2.4 million on Sunday, according to the latest bureau count. Figures are subject to revisions as more data becomes available to public health officials.
According to the CDC, more than one in five adults has now received at least one dose of the vaccine, while just over one in ten has received two doses. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two injections, while the recently approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one.
Jeff Zients, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, told NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday that the nation now administers an average of more than 2 million injections per day, compared to an average of 900,000 injections daily during the early days of the vaccination campaign. .
President Joe Biden said last week that the US would have enough vaccine doses for every adult by the end of May, two months earlier than expected. However, Zients warned that while the nation has made strides in ramping up vaccinations, the nation needs to double down on mitigation measures.
“We’re on a path – we need to make sure we don’t let our guard down,” Zients said. “People have to face the president’s challenge to mask themselves. People should take the vaccine when it is their turn. We have to stay on this road and beat this pandemic.”
Zients joins a chorus of public health officials warning the nation not to slack off vigilance as several states drop mask mandates and relax other coronavirus restrictions as cases decline and vaccinations increase.
Last week, Arizona, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, California and Mississippi relaxed all restrictions to varying degrees.
Arizona’s governor ended capacity limits on businesses, but said they still need masks. Texas also announced a return to full-capacity businesses, but dropped its mask mandate. Alabama’s governor said the state would lift its mask mandate after April 9. South Carolina has lifted the state’s mask mandate in government offices, but recommended restaurants continue to demand face coverings.
In California, theme parks, outdoor sports and live stadium events will restart April 1 with reduced capacity and mandatory masks. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Sunday that the state would allow restaurants outside of New York City to return to 75% capacity.
Mississippi also announced last week that companies would be able to operate at full capacity and dropped the state’s mask mandate.
On Sunday, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves responded to criticism from public health officials that his decision to relax Covid restrictions was premature.
“Our approach has been to not only protect lives, but also protect livelihoods. We need to get our economy going so people can get back to work,” Reeves said in an interview with CNN’s State of the Union.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s chief medical adviser, warned Americans to still be vigilant and adhere to public health measures as the government works to vaccinate the nation.
“We want to come back gently and slowly,” Fauci said on CBS News “Face the Nation” program. “But don’t flip the switch on and off because it would be really risky to have another wave again,” Fauci said of states that have changed mitigation methods.
Likewise, Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, said of NBC’s “Meet the Press” program that the US may see an increase in the number of cases as a result of the new variants.
Osterholm explained on Sunday that the US is “currently in the eye of the hurricane”.
Osterholm said the prevalence of the more contagious B.1.1.7. variant, which was first identified in the UK, will continue to grow. He added that about 40% of cases across the country are related to the variant.
While new Covid infections continue to decline from the catastrophic winter peak, they remain stubbornly high with an average of more than 60,000 new cases per day, according to a CNBC analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University. That is comparable to the wave that the US experienced last summer.
Deaths have also fallen from the devastating winter peak, but remain dangerously high. According to data from Johns Hopkins, an average of more than 1,700 people die from the virus every day.