Another Covid-19 surge is avoidable, here's what could fuel or curb another spike say health officials

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Another Covid-19 surge is avoidable, here's what could fuel or curb another spike say health officials

Sun, 2021-03-28 11:31 — mike kraft

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/28/health/us-coronavirus-sunday/index.html

Another Covid-19 surge is avoidable, top health officials say. Here's what could fuel or curb another spike

(CNN) The US may face another Covid-19 surge soon -- one that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief says "truly is avoidable."

"We have seen cases and hospital admissions move from historic declines to stagnations, to increases," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a White House Covid-19 briefing on Friday. "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."

At the time, Walensky said, the seven-day average of new cases was about 57,000 cases a day -- a 7% increase from the seven days prior.

"Please," she said, "take this moment very seriously."

It's a plea that's been echoed by health experts across the country, who have urged state leaders to wait a little longer before easing Covid-19 restrictions and Americans to double down on safety measures as the country races to vaccinate more people. Those actions are especially crucial now that a highly contagious -- and potentially more deadly -- variant is spreading across the US, they've warned.

Instead, at least a dozen governors -- in addition to local leaders -- relaxed measures this month. Spring break crowds packed popular beach destinations and air travel has surged.

"I know people are tired," Walensky said during the briefing. "We're just asking people to hang on a little while longer in terms of the masks and the mitigation strategies so that we can get the majority of people vaccinated."

So far roughly 15.1% of the US population is fully vaccinated -- meaning not enough Americans are yet protected to suppress the spread of the virus through herd immunity.

What can help fight another Covid-19 surge, according to experts, are the measures that have been proven to work: face masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds, and regularly washing hands.

Some state leaders have already expressed concern over recent Covid-19 trends.

On Friday, Vermont officials reported more than 250 new Covid-19 cases -- the highest one-day total for the state since the pandemic's start.

The increase is likely fueled by more people moving around now that warmer weather is here and by variants that are circulating, Dr. Mark Levine, the state's health commissioner, said. ...

Half of the cases in the last two weeks have been in people under 30 years old, while the most prominent age group with new cases is people between 20 and 29 years old, Levine added. ..

Meanwhile, cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, first spotted in the UK, are rising.

So far, the CDC has reported more than 8,300 cases of the variant in the US -- and the agency has previously said the number only represents cases that have been found with the help of genetic sequencing. ...

ALSO SEE: Covid-19 cases are rising. States are opening up anyway-- NBC

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