In line with the COVID-19 case tracker maintained by Johns Hopkins College, the USA reported 86,928 new instances yesterday, and 1,268 deaths, marking the primary time since Nov 2 day by day case counts have fallen beneath 100,000.
“However day by day instances are nonetheless larger than the common in the course of the summer season peak,” warned Rochelle Walensky, MD, Director of the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) throughout immediately’s White Home coronavirus activity drive briefing. Walensky mentioned hospitalizations have been additionally nonetheless at document ranges. There are 81,439 COVID-19 sufferers in US hospitals, in keeping with the COVID Monitoring Undertaking.
In whole, the US has seen 27,057,411 COVID-19 instances, together with 464,372 deaths.
Walensky mentioned now’s the time to remain vigilant in opposition to the virus, and cautioned states in opposition to lifting masks necessities or permitting in-person occasions.
“We’re dedicated to carrying masks nonetheless for the 100 days of the presidency,” Walensky mentioned, referring to a nationwide masks carrying plan President Joe Biden has touted.
Walensky additionally mentioned the CDC was conducting extra sequencing of COVID-19 samples on daily basis in an effort to detect the presence of variant strains in the USA. Per an replace yesterday, the CDC recorded 79 extra B117 instances for a complete of 690 from 33 states (most nonetheless from Florida and California). There’s additionally another B1351 case and another P1 case.
Vaccine technique and provide
Additionally throughout immediately’s briefing, Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses, addressed the problems of utilizing one dose of the mRNA vaccines to shortly inoculate a bigger share of Individuals. Fauci mentioned to take action intelligently would require research on efficacy and immune response from a single dose.
“These research would take a number of month’s time, by then it is a moot level,” Fauci mentioned. Fauci mentioned the booster second dose of each the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines raises neutralizing antibodies 10 fold larger than a single dose.
Yesterday on “Meet the Press” Fauci mentioned he anticipated US vaccine provides will enhance and start to fulfill demand by March. To that finish, Pfizer officers instructed USA Immediately they count on to chop manufacturing time for his or her mRNA vaccine in half, from 110 to 60 days.
The Pfizer vaccine is produced at three websites in the USA: In Chesterfield, Mo., then Andover, Mass., and is completed in Kalamazoo, Mich. It’s the first mRNA vaccine being produced to scale.
Biden will get 67% pandemic approval score
A brand new ABC Information/Ipsos ballot reveals 67% of Individuals approve of how the Biden administration is tackling the pandemic in the course of the first few weeks of holding workplace. And although most ballot individuals mentioned the distribution of vaccines has been truthful, new knowledge from the Kaiser Household Basis (KFF) reveals most older Individuals have but to be vaccinated.
The CDC COVID Information Tracker reveals 59,307,800 COVID-19 vaccines have been distributed in the USA, and 42,417,617 have been administered. Roughly 10% of the US inhabitants has obtained a minimum of one dose. Of that 10%, 29% have been ages 65 and older, together with residents of long-term care amenities.
Based mostly on states’ monitoring ages of vaccine recipients, KFF discovered the share of adults 65 and older who’ve had a minimum of one dose of the vaccine ranges from 34% in West Virginia to 10% in Pennsylvania.
“9 states–West Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Delaware, Texas, Michigan, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, plus the District of Columbia–report vaccinating a minimum of 20% of their 65 and older inhabitants,” KFF mentioned. Florida has the best vaccination price amongst older adults with 29%.
One other new survey carried out by The Ohio State College Wexner Medical Heart requested 2,000 Individuals about post-pandemic life, and located 72% mentioned they plan to proceed to put on masks in public, 80% will nonetheless keep away from crowds, and 90% plan to maintain up frequent handwashing and sanitizer use after COVID-19.
“Flu instances and hospitalizations are method down in comparison with latest years and a variety of that’s probably as a result of precautions like masking, bodily distancing and hand hygiene are completely working for flu,” Iahn Gonsenhauser, MD, chief high quality and affected person security officer at The Ohio State College Wexner Medical Heart mentioned. “I feel lots of people are realizing that what we have discovered from COVID-19 might be utilized extra usually to maintain our inhabitants wholesome.”
Biden says faculties ought to reopen
In an interview that aired on CBS earlier than the Tremendous Bowl final evening, Biden mentioned it was time to reopen faculties safely, and referred to as the exodus of three million American girls from the office and the psychological well being of kids a “nationwide emergency.”
Biden mentioned the CDC will supply new steerage to colleges, however talked about the necessity for fewer individuals in lecture rooms and improved air flow methods at school buildings.
Final week, Walensky instructed reporters throughout a briefing that instructor vaccinations weren’t required for college reopenings.
