THE U.S. IS AT A CRUCIAL POINT IN ITS FIGHT TO STOP THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. Although sufficient vaccines are available and several states have adopted increasingly stringent measures to protect their residents, the Delta variant is causing not only an increased number of infections, but also hospitalizations and deaths, especially in those who do not believe in, approve of, or want to be vaccinated.
Dr. Peggy Honein, coordinator of the working group of state, tribal, local and territorial support in the response of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? (CDC) said that, unfortunately, there are 150,000 new positive cases of the disease in the country every day, when in June of this year there was a daily average of 12,000 cases.
During a briefing with the media by the Ministry of Communications and Public Works, the Ethnic Media ServicesThe expert explained that the daily average of new admissions to the hospital is 12,000, while the number of deaths is 1,000.
In total, 640,000 deaths and nearly 40 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported.
"This pandemic continues to take a heavy toll despite the availability of proven mitigation measures and highly effective vaccines. We are seeing an increase in cases, an increase in emergency department visits, hospital admissions and an increase in deaths," he stressed.
He explained that in terms of vaccination, the country is below 53 percent of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, and only in the range of those aged 65 and over does the number rise to 82 percent, the complete opposite is the case for those between 12 and 17 years old, whose figure is reduced to 40 percent.
That latest data has put health authorities on alert, he said, as positive cases in the 12- to 17-year-old age group increased significantly during the summer, especially in July and August, leading to an increase in emergency department visits.
"We have been tracking all cases of ED visits and hospitalizations, but we are especially concerned about children and the burden of this disease on them, and we are seeing something similar to what we see in the entire population," he noted.
While Vermont has a vaccination rate of 60 percent for ages 12 to 17, states like Mississippi have a vaccination rate of only 11 percent. And it is precisely in those places with the lowest immunization rates that the highest number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations occur.
"I bring this up because it really highlights the role that the community and protecting children can play. Right now there is no vaccine licensed for children under 12, but we can all do our part to protect children by vaccinating as many people as possible over the age of 12 and using other mitigation strategies such as the use of facemasks to reduce transmission."
Comprehensive back-to-school prevention
Dr. Honein added that, with schools opening nationwide in the coming weeks, transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 can be prevented with a comprehensive layered approach.
The above, he explained, "not only using one type of prevention but several, such as: promoting vaccination, consistent and correct use of universal masks, physical distancing, screening tests as a way to identify cases so that they can be quickly isolated? hand washing and staying home when sick".
"We need to keep illness rates low and our schools open for face-to-face education, because it has become even clearer in the last year how important schools are not only for education, but for the overall mental and physical health of our children."
He pointed out that it is easy for transmission to occur "if we let our guard down and reduce any of these preventive measures".
"Everyone must work together to implement those prevention activities throughout the community so that we can reduce transmission in the community and also make sure that we can keep our schools safe and open for our children."
Safe travel
Closed spaces are a focal point for the transmission of COVID-19, so Dr. Cindy Friedman, from the CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, reminded that when thinking about traveling within the country, one should consider being fully vaccinated and take the necessary precautions to avoid contagion and spread of the virus.
"If you are already vaccinated, you don't need to be tested before and after travel or quarantined, but each state and local government may have their own recommendations or requirements," he noted.
For those arriving in the country, there is an order requiring travelers to show a negative test for COVID-19, performed no more than 72 hours prior to travel.
Those who wish to know the specific restrictions of each state, before traveling, can consult them through the CDC website, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-planner/index.html.
Third dose for the most vulnerable
Jennifer Layden, Ph.D., leader of the Strategic Science Unit within CDC's COVID-19 response, recommended that people with compromised immune systems receive an additional dose of the vaccine, as suggested by CDC since last August.
"At least they should get it 28 days after the second dose because we know they are especially vulnerable to COVID and may not develop the same level of immunity with the two-vaccine series."
However, he said, it could be as early as this fall when it will be determined whether the third dose will be needed for the remaining vaccine-eligible groups.
"CDC experts are analyzing the available data to understand how well the vaccines are working, including against new variants such as Delta," he stressed.
Notably, evidence so far has shown that the risk of Covid-19 infection remained low for vaccine recipients, as the effectiveness of the vaccine against severe symptomatic infection was reduced from 91 percent to 66 percent once the Delta variant became predominant, he said.
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