The former FDA commissioner said he believes the downward trend in coronavirus infection rates will continue through the summer.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb said that despite new variants of the virus, which still create a risk of infection, he believes rates will continue to fall.
Average daily deaths and hospitalizations fell to the lowest levels before Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays.
There have been 1,286 daily deaths in the last 24 hours, the figures now being the lowest since October 23, at the beginning of this winter’s wave of infections.
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said the United States “will continue to see infection rates fall in the spring and summer.”
The number of daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths is now declining
On Sunday, the number of people currently in hospital with the virus was 56,159, marking 40 consecutive days of declining hospitalizations.
“This has tragically affected the United States, but we should be optimistic, in my opinion. I think we will continue to see infection rates fall in the spring and summer. At this point, they fall dramatically. I think these trends will continue, “Gottlieb, who is on Pfizer’s board of directors, told CBS News.
“With the increase in vaccination rates and the fact that we have injected about a third of the country, this is enough protected immunity. If you look at the counties in New York and New Jersey that had a prevalence of more than 45%, which means that more than 45% of the population was infected during the winter, they really didn’t have much growth. Winter.
“Once you reach about 40% of the population with some kind of protected immunity – you no longer have herd immunity, because it will continue to transfer, but it will transfer at a much slower pace,” Gottlieb explained.
RN Robert Villa (right) gives Armando Montes a Modern Covid-19 vaccine at Pierce College’s new City of Los Angeles vaccination site
There have been 40 consecutive days of falling hospitalizations
Gottlieb said he believes Pfizer and other vaccine companies will be able to “prepare much better for the fall” and develop boosters for new variants of the circulating virus.
“I think we will have to solve this in the spring and summer. I don’t think we’ll ever reach the full immunity of the herd. We hope to vaccinate the elderly population to protect them from death because of this, but this will continue to spread.
Gottlieb also said he thought this fall might be the right time for schoolchildren to get vaccinated.
“I think it is possible that this vaccine will be moved to the high school population in the fall. I’ve seen it spread more in high school than in high school. There is a lower risk in school-age children. I don’t think this vaccine will be moved to 12 and under in the fall.
“It may be a matter of trying to reformulate vaccines at a lower dose for younger children because they develop a more robust immune response to the vaccine,” Gottlieb theorized.
Motorists and passengers wait in line for their Covid-19 vaccinations administered by National Guard members at a common COVID-19 state and campus vaccination site on the Los Angeles State University campus in Los Angeles on Wednesday
More than 28 million COVID-19 cases have shaken the United States since the virus arrived in the country almost exactly a year ago.
The effect of the virus was so severe that it took a full year out of the average life expectancy in the United States, the biggest decline since World War II.
To date, less than 15% of the US population has received at least one dose of vaccine, with almost 43 million receiving at least one dose and almost 18 million receiving a second dose, according to US statistics.
Some places ease restrictions, such as indoor dining, and move to reopen schools, even as millions wait for their photos, sparking debate over the safety of teachers, students and others.
The total number of people who have died in the United States due to the virus is fast approaching 500,000
Financial pressures also continue to weigh on even as economists express optimism for next year.
Congress weighs in on Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package, with the House of Representatives set to vote on it this week, and the Senate trying to vote on it before March 14.
The White House said on Sunday that it is planning a memorial event in which Biden will make remarks.
A White House spokesman said the president, along with First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second President Doug Emhoff, will hold a moment of silence on Monday and hold a candle-lighting ceremony at sunset.