An American expert on the feeling of threat about COVID-19: now I am afraid

Such predictions were made on Monday by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States, reports CNBC.

“About two months ago when I started working for the CDC, I promised them that they would tell the truth even if it wasn’t news they wanted to hear. This time it is. I have to tell the truth, I also have to believe and believe that you will listen, ”said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky at a news conference.

“I’d like to stop and admit the ever-present sense of threat,” Walensky said. – We can expect a lot, we have a lot to promise, given how much we have done so far. We have reason to hope, but specifically now I am afraid. “

The average weekly number of new COVID-19 cases recorded in the United States per day is now 63,239. According to CNBC’s analysis of data collected at Johns Hopkins University, that’s 16 percent. more than a week ago.

In up to 30 states, in addition to those diagnosed in Washington, the figures show at least 5 percent. growth per day.

The number of citizens transported to hospitals is also increasing. On Friday of last week, an average of 4,816 COVID-19 infected patients were reported to have been hospitalized in the previous seven days. This is 4.2 percent. more than a week ago.

Walensky urged Americans to wait a little longer and get vaccinated against the virus when the time comes. When the number of cases increases as it does now, the statistics curve often jumps steeply and considerably, he said.

“I am addressing you today not necessarily as the director of the CDC or not just as her, but as a wife, mother, daughter, and please wait a little longer,” Walensky said.

Already in late February, US health executives warned that the threat of the virus could spread the country again, as it has happened in Europe.

Hopeful knowledge

Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines against COVID-19 90 percent. It is effective in protecting against any symptoms of a coronavirus infection, according to a study published Monday in a real-world study involving nearly 4,000 American healthcare workers.

Another encouraging news is that people who received just one of the two required doses of these vaccines protected 80% of symptoms from infection in the first two weeks after vaccination. effectiveness.

A study conducted by the CDC from December 14 to March 12 of this year examined the effectiveness of these two vaccines in the follow-up of 3,950 participants in six states.

“This study shows that our national vaccination efforts are working,” said CDC Director R. Walensky.

“COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Approved [informacinės RNR] provided real and significant protection against infection in our country to health workers, special service workers and other front-line workers needed in real conditions ”, he emphasized.

One of the main advantages of this study was that the participants themselves took swabs of the nasal cavity every week to examine them, whether they had any symptoms or not.

These results complement the growing evidence that vaccines protect not only against the onset of symptoms but also against the infection itself, making these drugs an important tool to help slow the spread of the pandemic coronavirus.

Participants included doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other healthcare workers from Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and Utah.

Of these, 2,479 (62.8%) received the two recommended doses of mRNA-based vaccines and 477 (12.1%) received only one dose.

Three of the participants in the two-dose study had a coronavirus infection. This corresponds to 0.04 cases per thousand people per day, compared to 0.19 cases per thousand people per day for a single injection and 1.38 cases per unvaccinated person.

After adjusting the model for the study site, the efficacy of single-dose protection was estimated to be 80% for those vaccinated and 90% for both doses.

The study authors said they were unable to assess the effectiveness of each drug individually due to the small number of infections.

This study continues and researchers will now focus on cases where the virus has been able to infect vaccinated people to better understand why this is happening.

Blinken: United States to Become World Leader in Vaccination

The United States promises to become a world leader in vaccination against COVID-19 after making significant progress in vaccination within the state, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.

“As we continue to vaccinate all Americans, I hope to be able to vaccinate even more in other parts of the world in the future,” Blinken said during a virtual press conference after negotiations at the United Nations (UN).

“In the coming months, over time, I think the United States will become a leader in increasing the availability of vaccines around the world,” he said.

The United States has already negotiated an agreement to produce vaccines in India, providing support to allies of Japan and Australia. Washington also agreed to monitor vaccination processes in Southeast Asia and the Pacific region, where China is expanding its influence.

President Joe Biden is also shipping millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has yet to be approved in the US, to neighboring Canada and Mexico, and Washington has also donated or pledged $ 4 billion. dollars for the UN-sponsored Covax program, which supplies doses of vaccines to the developing world.

J. Biden on January 20. After taking office, the vaccination process in the US is accelerating. On Monday, the White House announced it on April 19. the COVID-19 vaccine will already be available in 90% of cases. adult population of the country.

As that progress is made, the US will soon be faced with an overdose of vaccines, and it will be necessary to decide whether and how to transfer the doses to other countries.