A“potential fourth surge ” of COVID-19 cases could be on the apparent horizon in the US if uttermost caution is not maintained , the conductor of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) has warned .
“ I remain profoundly concerned about a possible shift in the trajectory of the pandemic , ” Rochelle Walensky , director of the CDC , say during avirtual White House briefingon March 1 .
“ Please hear me distinctly : At this layer of cases , with variants spreading , we place upright to whole drop off the intemperately - earned primer we have gained … Now is not the metre to decompress the critical safeguards that we know can bar the ranch of COVID-19 in our communities , not when we are so close . ”
“ We have the ability to discontinue a potential fourth surge of case in this state , ” she add .
While routine ofnew COVID-19 casesare significantly down from early to mid - January 2021 , the downslope in compositor’s case number have leveled off at a very mellow identification number , comparable to the levels come across in the middle of the “ 2d moving ridge ” in July 2020 .
There is also vexation around the growing menace of troublesome extremely infectious variance . talk on February 26 , Walensky alsosaidthe so - promise “ UK variance ” now account for up to 10 percent of guinea pig in the US , up from 1 - 4 pct a few weeks ago . As preliminary studies have hint , this variant ismore easy transmittedand has ahigher degree of mortalitycompared to the original strain .
The Brazilian variant , another perturbing variant , hasalso been detectedin Oregon this week , while preliminary research in February also reported thatseven variants of SARS - CoV-2are on the rise across the US , all of which have independently gain similar mutations to the spike protein of the surface of the computer virus .
Despite the threat of new variant , some state are “ afford up ” and unwind their societal distancing measures . Texas has announce it will be end its state - all-inclusive masquerade party mandate and will take into account business organisation to reopen at full capability next hebdomad . Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbottsaidon Tuesday : " It is now time to open Texas 100 percent " The CDC director , however , has monish this could provide fertile ground for novel COVID-19 cases .
It is n’t all doom and sombreness though . The US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) has now empower the enjoyment of three vaccines , include the Johnson & Johnson single - dose COVID-19 vaccinum thatreceived the net green lightfrom regulators on February 27 . The rollout of the vaccines is likely going comparatively swimmingly too , with over 78 million doses being administered , consort toCDC dataon March 2 .
The US register over 50,000 new COVID-19 case on March 1 , agree to thelatest available CDC statistics . As per theJohns Hopkins COVID-19 splashboard , that brings the US total number of COVID-19 cases to over 28.7 million . Over 517,00 Americans have suffer their animation to the disease .
For more information about COVID-19 , suss out out theIFLScience COVID-19 hubwhere you may follow the current nation of the pandemic , the onward motion of vaccine development , and further insights into the disease .
