States are relaxing social distance rules but it’s “too early” to reverse Covid’s restrictions, says Dr. Atul Gawande warned on “The News with Shepard Smith.”
“We’re currently at levels of cases that are still above the peak of our last increase, so we didn’t even come down below last summer’s increase,” he said. the surgeon and professor at TH Chan’s School of Public Health in Harvard. “We get 2,000 deaths every day, so this is not the extent to which we are in good shape to just a plateau, we need to push down further.”
The U.S. is currently seeing a 7-day average of 67,365 daily U.S. new cases, according to a CNBC review of Johns Hopkins data, down 73% from a peak average of about 249,000 in mid-January.
Gawande raised the concerns for a re-sharing shared with the Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Rochelle Walensky, who said she remains “very concerned” about the virus.
“Our recent declines appear to be halting – stopping at more than 70,000 cases a day,” Walensky said at a White House press release on Monday. “With these new figures, I am deeply concerned about reports that more states are reversing the exact public health measures we proposed to protect people from Covid-19.”
Gawande argued that Covid’s new changes circulating within the U.S., including New York’s latest circulation version, B.1.526, should be another reason for Americans to be vigilant when it comes to coronavirus.
The CDC reports that nearly 25.5 million Americans are fully vaccinated, about 8% of the country’s population, and with declining manufacturing, demand for shots is at an all-time high.
“I think the evidence is very strong that giving people who have previously been diagnosed with the disease would be wise to do just that and allow more vaccines to go through. others as well, “Gawande said of his temporary strategy to further expand existing provision.
Two new studies out of Britain show that one picture of the vaccine can provide “strong” protection for Covid survivors. The CDC, however, is currently debating the issue. Gawande told Shepard Smith that he would like the CDC to see their assessment as soon as possible.
The U.S. vaccine effort is now armed with a Johnson & Johnson bullet, the third vaccine allowed in its arsenal to fight Covid. The White House said Americans could start getting the one-shot vaccine as early as Tuesday.
“In terms of the expected supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, this week we will be rolling out 3.9 million doses,” said Jeffrey Zients, White House coronavirus response coordinator. “That’s the total investment. owned by Johnson & Johnson. We are getting these doses out the door immediately to make sure vaccines get into your arms as soon as possible. “