Although US Covid-19 cases are flatttening, experts are concerned about another surge

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Mon, 2021-03-15 10:10 — mike kraft

US Covid-19 cases have flattened. Here's why that may predict another surge, expert says There's good reason to be optimistic about where the US could be by summer as Covid-19 vaccinations accelerate. Christina Maxouris, CNN CNN

(CNN) There's good reason to be optimistic about where the US could be by summer as Covid-19 vaccinations accelerate.

But right now, there are s everal threats looming. And the country is at a crossroads.

"On the one hand we are getting vaccines out at a record pace, but on the other hand we have these variants. We also know surges have occurred after spring break and after holidays before. So what happens now is really up to us," emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen told CNN on Sunday.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows more than 4,800 cases of coronavirus variants first spotted in the UK, South Africa and Brazil have been reported in the US. The true number of cases is likely higher -- this number only represents cases that have been spotted with the help of genomic sequencing, the agency has said.

"The best way that we can avoid any threat from variants is do two things," Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN Sunday. "Get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can and to continue with the public health measures until we get this broad umbrella of protection over society that the level of infection is very low."

That means the US shouldn't be easing restrictions before daily Covid-19 case numbers fall below 10,000 and "maybe even considerably less than that," Fauci has previously said.

But a growing list of governors have recently announced eased restrictions. And US infection levels are anything but low as variants circulate. An average of more than 53,000 Covid-19 cases and more than 1,350 deaths were reported daily over the past week.

The decline of cases that officials reported earlier this year now seems to have leveled off, which has experts worried.

"Based on our previous experience in this country and in other countries, when you see a plateau it predicts another surge," infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist Dr. Celine Gounder told CNN Sunday. "And we have these new variants that are also very much potentially fueling a more severe surge." ...

So far, more than 69.7 million people have gotten at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. More than 37.4 million are fully vaccinated -- roughly 11.3% of the US population.

On Sunday, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner and current Pfizer board member, offered more encouraging news.

"All of the evidence across all the vaccines now is pointing in the direction that these vaccines reduce asymptomatic infection and reduce transmission," he told CBS.

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