Within the last six weeks, there has been a decline in new COVID-19 cases in the United States. That decline has started to level off as hospitalization, and COVID-19 related deaths continue to drop.
On a seven-day average, a little over 72,000 new cases per day were reported Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021. These numbers are down from the US average last Thursday of 102,000 new cases per day. Experts express that it is too soon to determine if the drop in new cases represents a small change or the beginning of a bigger issue.
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, stated:
I’ve been watching this and have been wondering the same thing, We have not seen widespread increases, but there is that flattening. We’ll have to monitor this closely. The other thing we have to track is how the new variant is doing and whether that’s part of the reason.
Are the Vaccines Really Having an Effect?
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine also looks like it can protect against another coronavirus strain that was first identified in the UK. It is feared that this new strain of COVID-19 surge may hit the US in weeks.
Researchers published details of the peer-reviewed findings last week in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study confirms the Vaccine’s effectiveness outside of a clinical trial. The New York Times search of federal data discovered that new cases and deaths in nursing homes have declined since the start of vaccinations in late December.
How Far Away is The Third Vaccine?
Johnson & Johnson is just days away from introducing their vaccine on the market. Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisers will be meeting with Johnson & Johnson to determine if their vaccine works and if it is safe. FDA advisers can make a recommendation to the FDA as early as today or tomorrow.
United States vaccine supplies are set to increase in the coming months. A promise of 220-million doses of vaccine by Pfizer and Moderna will be available to be shipped by the end of March. The FDA has made it easier to get the Pfizer vaccine to more places by authorizing it to be transported and stored for up to two-weeks in regular freezer temperature.
Update on Vaccine Eligibility
Experts have predicted that this new UK COVID-19 strain will hit the US soon. Health officials are anticipating a possible third wave that has received its force from this UK variant.
The CDC has developed data that shows 2,102 cases of this new variant have already been detected in the United States. The United States is at risk of another surge caused by this new variant named B.1.1.7. Two separate teams of researchers in New York City and other Northeast areas have found this new variant.
Pfizer and partner BioTech is testing a third dose of their vaccine against the variant. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla stated to NBC News that their vaccine would protect people against the B.1.1.7 variant. Bourla anticipates an annual re-vaccination for the near future.
Written by Omari Jahi
Sources:
CNN: Despite US Covid-19 cases dropping, infections are still staggeringly high. Here’s what has experts worried, Christina Maxouris
TheHill: CDC director warns decline in COVID-19 cases ‘may be stalling’ in ‘concerning shift’, PETER SULLIVAN
Yahoo!Life: COVID-19 spreads easily in gyms, CDC finds. Here’s how you can work out safely indoors, Abby Haglage.
Featured Image Courtesy of Province of British Columbia’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image by Arne Müseler Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image Courtesy of GovernmentZA’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Third Inset Image Courtesy of Judy Baxter’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
