U.S. Coronavirus: Epidemic in a Month, Fauci says U.S. Covid-19 is still lagging behind in testing


“We’re better off than we were a few months ago, that’s for sure,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Monday night. “But the country is not where it is needed yet,” he said.

In the fight against the virus, experts have consistently stressed how important testing is. When done properly, it can help health officials quickly identify the infection and isolate those individuals before more people become infected. It can also give local leaders an idea about the level of infection in the community.

“We need to flood the system with testing,” Foic said.

The U.S. has conducted more than 107 million tests since the epidemic began. More than 210,000 Americans have died and there have been more than 7.4 million reported infections – but the number of true infections is much higher, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts say it is likely due to a lack of testing in the first months of the epidemic.

Some states have hit record-highs

U.S. The overall case in is growing. More than 50,000 cases are reported in the country every day on Friday and Saturday. U.S. Last time, more than 20,000,000 cases were seen back in mid-August.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, at least 22 states are filing new cases more than the previous week, with many in the Midwest and now more in the Northeast.

Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina – only four states are experiencing declines. The rest is static.

Some states have also recorded record-highs in recent days.

In recent days, the number of records was higher in some states.

Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky and Montana recorded the highest 7-day average for new daily cases over the weekend, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Alaska is reporting 40% more new cases than last week. In Kentucky, where the government. Andy Bachere, who last week sounded the alarm about “increasing” cases and urged residents to be cautious, announced on Monday that the state would move mask implementation forward.

“We need to make sure everyone there is coming back to a place where, in your business, you can’t find someone wearing a mask, no matter who they are,” he said on Monday. .

In Wisconsin, an average of 30,000 new cases occur every day – the third highest in the country after Texas and California. The state has risen 15% above average in the past week.

What happens when measures are relaxed

A new study that analyzed Covid-19 data from all 50 states and DCs found that the lockdown helped slow the transmission of Covid-19, but loose restrictions allowed the virus to spread again.

“At the same time that these restrictions were lifted, those trends were reversed,” said Dr. Mark Sidner, an investigator in the infectious diseases department at Massachusetts General Hospital, who led the research team.

Experts say a second lockdown is not necessary to keep the virus under control: strong safety measures such as universal face masks, social distance and hand washing can be almost as effective. And Fawcett warned last month that communities across the country should redouble those measures as an approach to a potentially challenging season.

But those measures are a point of contention: many Americans have opposed the use of masks and despite repeated warnings by state leaders, mass rallies continue in some parts of the country.

F month C says the vaccine could be considered safe next month

U.S. health officials are likely to know whether the Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective early next month, Fawcett said Monday.

“I think comfortably around November or December, we will know if the vaccine is safe and effective,” he said.

According to the World Health Organization, there are currently 10 Covid-19 vaccine candidates in large-scale, large-scale clinical trials around the world. Many of them are U.S. Is in and runs in Phase 3 from the end of at least two July.

And once a vaccine is considered safe and effective, companies will likely have a dose to start distributing.

“For some people there, the vaccine will be available, potentially, in a limited amount, by the end of this calendar year, beginning in 2021,” Fawcett predicted.

Experts, including Fawcett, say healthcare workers and people with underlying health conditions are likely to prioritize vaccinations.

CNN’s Amanda Watts, Shelby Lynn Erdman and Tina Burnside contributed to the report.

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