Covid cases in the U.S. are continuing to plummet, and health officials are reportedly discussing rolling out even more vaccine shots to keep the virus controlled long term.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering making a second booster shot – which would be a fourth shot overall for a vast majority of vaccinated Americans. Data is currently being reviewed regarding the shots, the Journal reports. While there are no guarantees, it is likely the FDA will authorize fourth shots for Americans in the future.
Another additional shot was likely always on the cards in the U.S. Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has speculated on the matter since last last year. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in January that these repeated shots would be necessary long-term to keep Covid under control. Israel, which has been ahead of the U.S. during its vaccine rollout, recently made fourth shots available to its elderly population as well.
Health experts and officials are now preparing for a ‘post-pandemic’ phase of Covid, where humans can live alongside the virus like they do the flu. Controlling the virus may require regular , annual, vaccine shots though.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the FDA is considering rolling out a fourth shot of the COVID-19 vaccines in the future, and is already reviewing data for the shots. Americans that are considered immunocompromised are already eligible for an additional booster dose per CDC guidelines. Pictured: A woman in Miami, Florida, receives a shot of a COVID-19 vaccine
Some Americans already can receive fourth vaccine doses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that immunocompromised Americans receive the additional shot to shore up protection against Omicron. While the Omicron variant poses little risk to the general population, some people with serious comorbidities are still at risk of severe infection if they do catch the virus.
There are fears that Americans will not be willing to continue receiving Covid vaccine doses, though, especially if they do not feel the virus is a major threat. Despite booster shots becoming available to the general population in late-September, uptake of the boosters did not peak until Omicron arrived in December.
The population waiting for Covid cases to spike, or waiting for a variant that is perceived to be more dangerous, to arrive before receiving additional shots is what opens the door to future variants and outbreaks.
A majority of eligible Americans did eventually get boosted. According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 70 percent of eligible Americans have received their booster dose.
Reports that an additional Covid jab could be on the way come as cases continue to plummet, as the Omicron variant-fueled surge is all but finished.
Daily Covid infections in the country have dipped to as low as 101,718 per day, a 43 percent drop from the 177,379 cases per day last week. While the holiday weekend could play a role in reduced case figures over the weekend, the current seven day drop in cases is consistent with previous data.
The mid-January peak of just under 800,000 cases per day is now over a month into the rear view, and cases since then have dropped a whopping 87 percent. Daily cases have basically returned to normal levels in the U.S., and are expected to fall even further.
Deaths, which often lag behind cases, are starting to come down as well but have not experienced the same massive plummeting that case rates did. The nation is averaging 2,165 Covid deaths every day, a seven percent fall over the past week. Deaths did not explode the same way cases did last month, though, as the relatively mild nature of Omicron meant that many people who contracted the virus were fine.
The low Covid mortality rate in America can be attributed to the country’s successful vaccine rollout as well. According to official CDC data, 76 percent of Americans have received at least on vaccine dose and 65 percent are fully vaccinated. Vaccine uptake is high among adults in particular, with nearly 90 percent at least partially jabbed.
Covid cases are currently dropping in all 50 U.S. states over the past two weeks. Cases have slashed in half over that period in 44 states.
Nebraska is recording the largest drop of any state, with cases dropping 81 percent over the past two weeks. The Cornhusker state now has one of the nation’s lowest infection rates, with 14 of every 100,000 residents testing positive for the virus every day.
The state with the lowest infection rate is Maryland, where only 12 of every 100,000 residents are testing positive daily. Maryland was among the first states struck hard by Omicron, and has since experienced a miraculous turnaround and gotten its Covid situation under control.
New York was an early virus hotspot as well during the Omicron wave, with New York City experiencing a massive case surge in mid-December. The state is recording 15 daily cases per 100,000 residents as of Monday morning, one of the lowest rates in America.
Only one state is still recording more than 100 daily cases per every 100,00 residents, Kentucky. Cases are down 31 percent over the past two weeks in the Bluegrass state, though.
Maine, one of the most vaccinated states in America, seems to be in the midst of a late Omicron surge. The state was not slammed as hard as many others to start the year, but has experienced an increase in cases during February and finds itself among the leaders in Covid mortality.
The state, which has vaccinated 78 percent of its residents so far, is averaging 1.4 daily Covid deaths per every 100,00 residents, the second highest rate in America.
Only Tennessee, with has a much lower vaccination rate of 53 percent, has a higher mortality rate – with 1.43 of every 100,000 residents dying from Covid every day.
Five other states are also suffering more than one daily Covid death per 100,000 residents: West Virginia (1.36 daily deaths per 100,000; 57 percent vaccination rate), Mississippi (1.33; 51), Oklahoma (1.23; 56), Arkansas (1.07; 53), Alabama (1.05; 50).
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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