Pennsylvania and New Jersey are now pursuing only Michigan as the epicenter of COVID-19’s work, as the nation sees a surge in activity amid a major vaccination effort by all citizens aged 16 and over by May 31.
If done, the May 31 deadline would see Americans enjoy a somewhat normal July 4, officials say.
In Pennsylvania, cases are rising. The state has had an average of more than 5,000 cases a day in the past week Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Neighboring New Jersey reported an increase in cases in March, but the number of cases in that state has fallen since then. New Jersey has averaged more than 3,200 in the past week.
Delaware also adds more cases per capita and follows Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey in average 7-day cases. The state has an average of 405 new cases a day, up 115% from March.
The United States reported 67,933 new cases of COVID-19 and 477 deaths yesterday, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker. In total, the country confirmed 31,772,125 cases, including 568,196 deaths.
Travel warnings in 80% of countries
This week, about 80% of the world’s countries will receive the largest travel warning from the US State Department – “Level 4: Don’t travel” – due to high levels of COVID-19, Washington Post reported.
Currently, only 16% of countries have a level 4 designation, but international travel is slowly returning. The State Department suggests that all Americans should avoid unnecessary travel, but United Airlines has announced it will add new flights to Greece, Iceland and Croatia starting in July.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron told CBS “Face the Nation” that his country will begin lifting international travel restrictions in May.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that fully vaccinated Americans can travel domestically, they also warn that international travel increases the risk of spreading new COVID-19 variants.
Evaluation of COVID self-treatment drugs
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will fund a phase 3 study called ACTIV-6 that will test several existing prescription and over-the-counter drugs for people to self-administer to treat COVID-19 symptoms, he said. NIH in a press release yesterday.
Although several treatments have been approved for moderate to severe COVID-19, there is currently no recommended home treatment for mild cases of the virus.
“While we are doing a good job of treating hospitalized patients with severe illnesses, we currently do not have an approved drug that can be self-administered to relieve the symptoms of people with mild illnesses at home and reduce their chances of developing them. who need hospitalization, “said NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, Ph.D.
“ACTIV-6 will assess whether certain promising drugs in small studies can pass the study.”
20% of seniors remain unvaccinated
Anyone in the United States over the age of 16 is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine as of yesterday, but 20% of adults age 65 and older are still unvaccinated.
Some health experts worry that older Americans will not struggle to get a vaccine, New York Times reports.
In other news about viruses, the CDC said in a telephone briefing yesterday that the risk of COVID-19 being transmitted to the surface is low and that frequent cleaning and disinfection of surfaces will have a minimal impact on viral transmission and will contribute to “hygiene theater.” CNN reports.
The CDC further claims that COVID-19 is spread mainly through the transmission of droplets, although several experts have long argued that the virus is transmitted through the air.