Daily COVID-19 Cases in U.S. Drop Below 100,000 amid Increased Vaccine Distribution
As COVID-19 vaccines continue to be distributed, data shows that there has been a significant drop in daily infection rates across the United States.
In an article by CBN News, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that further improvements will be seen in the coming weeks as more vaccines become available.
“Even though there’s a clear, clear discrepancy between the demand and the supply, that will get better as we get through February and into March,” Fauci said.
According to a Health and Human Services document obtained by ABC News, there has been a 4-week downward trajectory when it comes to reported COVID-19 cases. As a result, there has been a 50 percent drop in infections since it last peaked on Jan. 8.
Fauci, who also serves as the chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, said in a White House coronavirus briefing on Monday that delaying a second shot of the vaccine can lead to new variants of the virus, Insider reports.
“The way viruses respond to pressure, you could actually be inadvertently selecting for more mutants,” Fauci said. “For that reason, we have continued to go by the fact that we feel the optimum approach would be to continue with getting as many people on their first dose as possible but also making sure that people — on time — get their second dose.”
There have also been less than 100,000 daily cases nationwide for the first time since November of last year.
Regarding vaccines, Pfizer noted of faster production rates and decreased times to make a new batch from 110 days to 60.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson is producing its single-dose vaccine while waiting for its emergency use authorization.
Nevertheless, U.S health officials are urging Americans to remain vigilant, especially with the possibility of future COVID-19 variants.
“We can’t afford to have the disease spread now. With these mutations and these variants every time we allow it to infect more people, it gives the virus the opportunity to mutate,” Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said.
One new study – not yet peer-reviewed – shows that the U.K. variant of the virus could possibly be doubling every ten days.
“It does show that we have likely more of the variants floating around in our population,” said Dr. Imran Ali with Yale-New Haven Health. “That could explain why we may still see some more surges in the future.”
Out in South Africa, however, the country has suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after data showed that only minimal protection is given against mild-to-moderate sickness brought about by COVID-19’s South African variant.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Matthew. Horwood/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.
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