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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
A concerning variant is about to become dominant in the US, experts say, and how Americans act could help fuel or curb a surge
Experts are worried some Americans are letting up too early -- at a critical time when looming dangers are threatening to wipe out the progress the US has made in its battle against Covid-19.
At least a dozen state leaders have eased Covid-19 restrictions this month, often citing improving Covid-19 trends and growing vaccination numbers. At the same time, air travel is hitting pandemic-era records and the first spring break crowds have begun descending on Florida and other sunny regions while cases of a dangerous variant are on the rise.
The Transportation Security Administration said it screened more than 1.3 million people at airports Sunday -- meaning about 5.2 million travelers flew since Thursday. That's the highest number of people that have traveled by air during any other four-day period of the pandemic.
"We have seen footage of people enjoying spring break festivities, maskless," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday. "This is all in the context of still 50,000 cases per day."
The safety measures will be especially crucial now that multiple variants of the virus are circulating -- including the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant that was first identified in the UK.
It's projected to become the dominant variant in the US by the end of this month or early April, Walensky said Monday.
Cases of the B.1.1.7 variant have so far been found in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, according to CDC data.
"The way the variants spread is by letting our guard down," Dr. Richard Besser, the former acting CDC Director told CNN on Monday. "By not wearing masks, by not social distancing. If we can hang in there for a few more months, there will be enough vaccine for every adult in America to be vaccinated."
"Then we can truly let go of some of the restrictions that are in place. But if we do this too quickly, we could see an increase in cases, we could see a backslide that is occurring in many European countries and that does not have to be the outcome here in America," he added."
Research published last week suggested that the variant was associated with an estimated 64% higher risk of dying from Covid-19.
And another peer-reviewed study has linked the variant to a higher risk of death, according to a paper accepted by the journal Nature. This time, the risk of death from the variant was estimated around 55% higher than earlier strains after adjusting for a number of factors like age, sex, and where and when tests were conducted.
But there is good news: Vaccinations are ramping up and experts are hopeful Americans will be able to see a semblance of normality by the summertime.
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Re: Latest on the Corona Virus
It is quite obvious you and I have a different definition of nonsense.
I call it nonsense when people deny science and refuse to wear something that is proven to help in slowing the spread of a potentially deadly virus.
You seem to call it nonsense when people wear a product that can help protect themselves and others from a potentially deadly virus.Comment
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