The latest coronavirus wave in the United States driven by the Delta variant could soon peak, but experts warn against complacency and expect the virus will be part of everyday life for years to come. The seven-day-average of daily cases as of Monday was 172,000, its highest level of this surge even as the growth rate is slowing and cases are headed down in most states, according to data compiled by the Covid Act Now tracker.
But more than 1,800 people are still dying a day, and over 100,000 remain hospitalized with severe Covid — a grim reminder of the challenges authorities have faced in getting enough Americans vaccinated in the face of misinformation and a polarized political climate.
Bhakti Hansoti, an associate professor in emergency medicine at John Hopkins University and expert in Covid critical care told AFP she saw the US following a similar trajectory to India. Countries in western Europe have also seen similar downturns in their Delta surges. But while Hansoti breathed a sigh of relief when the spring wave ended, “I’m a little hesitant this time around,” she admitted.
The possible emergence of newer variants of concern and the advent of colder weather leading to more socialization indoors could lead to a rebound, “unless we learn from the lessons of the fourth wave. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at University of Saskatchewan in Canada, added she was not certain the fourth wave was over.
“If you look at the fall-winter wave, there were periods in which there was a steep exponential increase, and then it looked like it was falling — and then there would be another increase.”
To ensure gains are sustained, rapidly increasing the number of people vaccinated is vital. Currently 63.1 percent of the eligible population over-12 are fully vaccinated, or 54 percent of the total population. It’s expected that certain populations like the elderly and those with weakened immune systems may need boosters as well as high community vaccination rates to protect them.
Rather than eradication, the goal has shifted toward taming the virus for vaccinated people such that in rare cases of breakthrough infections, the disease is more flu-like. However, uncertainties remain: for instance, people with breakthrough Covid infections might still get long Covid.
Greg Poland, an infectious diseases expert at Mayo Clinic, predicted humanity would be dealing with Covid “well past the lifespan of the next many generations.” We are still immunizing against aspects of the 1918 influenza virus,” he said
Source: indianews
In other news – This is why #IdolsSA is losing Viewers after Somizi’s exit
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