This reversal of what had looked to be a continuing trend downward in cases of the coronavirus makes vaccinating as many people as possible even more urgent as variants of concern (VOCs) continue to spread.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressed concern Friday about rising case numbers, noting the seven-day average daily case count was up 7 percent over the past week, reports Voice of America News.
“We have seen cases and hospital admission move from historic decline to stagnation to increases, and we know from prior surges that if we don’t control things now there is a real potential for the epidemic curve to soar again,” she said at a White House briefing.
Walensky also noted that more than 1,000 people are still dying of COVID-19 every day in the U.DS., and said, “Please take this moment very seriously.”
According to Bloomberg, on Friday, the U.S. recorded 78,560 new coronavirus cases, meaning there is an 11 percent increase in cases over the past week. Health officials point out that this is a fraction of the peak over the holiday surge, in which daily cases rose above 300,000.
But there is a real concern as variants continue to spread across the country and states continue to do away with virus protocols like the wearing of masks and social distancing.
As of Saturday, March 27, 2021, according to Johns Hopkins University, there are 126,280,989 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide, and 2,769,934 deaths worldwide. The U.S. still leads the world with 30,158,872 confirmed COVID cases and 30,158,872 deaths.
Ignoring the message may be dangerous
Health officials have been trying, apparently without a great deal of success, to get Americans to heed the message that following public health rules are necessary for defeating the virus. But it is our lawmakers who are undermining the messaging.
“Elected leaders are undermining public health messaging left and right,” said Brian Castrucci, president and chief operating officer of the de Beaumont Foundation, a public health nonprofit.
On Friday, the governors of Arizona and North Carolina joined Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, and Texas in loosening mandates that would protect the public. Connecticut and Maryland, too, have announced plans to roll back mitigation efforts, according to NBC News.
