High levels of Covid infection right now could mean problems for vaccines later, ex-CDC chief says

Not enough people are protected against the virus yet -- only about 13.5% of the US population is fully vaccinated -- and a dangerous variant that's rapidly spreading could fuel another surge of infections.

"We must act now, and I am worried that if we don't take the right actions now, we will have another avoidable surge -- just as we are seeing in Europe right now and just as we are so aggressively scaling up vaccination," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Monday.

And high levels of infection now could also mean problems for vaccines later on, one expert told CNN on Monday.

"Not only does uncontrolled spread cause avoidable illness, hospitalization and death, but it increases the risk that an even more dangerous variant may emerge that could make the vaccine less effective," said Dr. Tom Frieden, the former CDC director.

 

While vaccines are being rolled out, Frieden says Americans should continue taking precautions, like wearing face masks and limiting travel and indoor time with people not from their household.

 

When people travel and mix, you can see a big surge of infections a couple of weeks later," he added. ...

 

"We estimate that vaccination has already saved at least 40,000 lives in the US," Frieden said. "These are really good vaccines and the quicker we get them out the better." ...