US might lose out on recent COVID-19 progress: CDC Director

With a raging battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, the US has seen ups and downs in the country’s health situation. The United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention chief Dr Rochelle Walensky warned that with the rise of new strains of the deadly virus, the country might not be able to retain its progress, according to US media reports.  

She said, “Please hear me clearly: At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained. The most recent seven-day average of deaths has also increased more than 2%, to nearly 2,000 deaths per day”, reported CNN. 

Also Read: 4 million J&J COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed in the US by March 2

Dr. Walensky also called out the states which were gradually relaxing their preventive policies in relevance to the COVID-19 safety protocols and further urged the civilians to recognise their own duty to wear a proper mask and follow the recommended safety guidelines. 

“I am really worried about reports that more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from COVID-19. Please stay strong in your conviction. Continue wearing your well-fitting mask and taking the other public health prevention actions that we know work,” the CDC director later added. 

However, the US has a ray of hope to recover from the extreme stress of the pandemic using the recently commissioned Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires the administration of a single dose and eases other logistical challenges. 

Also Read: Children in US could receive COVID-19 vaccine by next year, says Anthony Fauci

A senior official of US President Joe Biden’s administration revealed that almost 4 million doses of the newly approved J&J jab will be delivered to states, territories, tribes, community health centers and pharmacies across the US, reported CNN. 

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which are the other two jabs in circulation in the US, have also demonstrated promising efficacy rates against the virus, standing strong at 95% protection against severe forms of infections.