More Americans have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine than they tested positive for the virus, an early but hopeful step in the race to end the pandemic.
On Monday afternoon, 26.5 million Americans had received one or both doses of current vaccines, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Since the first patient in the US tested positive outside Seattle a year ago, 26.3 million people in the country gave positive results for the disease and 443,000 died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The US takes photos at a faster daily rate than any country in the world, providing about 1.34 million doses per day, according to data collected by Bloomberg. While the launch stalled in its early days, in the six weeks since the first gunshots, nearly 7.8% of Americans have received one or more doses, and 1.8% are fully vaccinated.
“It is noteworthy that today, for the first time, the data said that more people were vaccinated than were reported as newly diagnosed cases,” said Paula Cannon, a professor of microbiology at Keck University School of Medicine. Southern California. “It simply came to our notice then. I’m all for this victory. ”
Only a few other countries have passed this stage: Israel, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates have defeated the United States in the face of more vaccinations than cases a few days or weeks ago.
Following an increase in vacancies in US cases, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are turning to the top, although this is likely due to behavioral changes and the still low impact of the vaccine. New Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and emergency department visits are starting to decline, said Jay Butler, the agency’s deputy director of infectious diseases.
“Although these trends are encouraging, I want to emphasize that the number at the national level is still high and that it is as high as at any time during the pandemic. up to this point, “he said at a briefing Friday organized by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.” If this pandemic were a stockpile, we might want to sell it. “
It is still possible for the virus to catch a cold, especially if variants occur in South Africa and elsewhere. Studies suggest that vaccines, especially the latest photos from Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc., are less potent against that strain and at least another.
The goal is to finally achieve the immunity of the herd, when so many Americans have protection due to a vaccine or a natural infection that the virus is struggling to spread and eventually become extinct. Public health officials, including Anthony Fauci, the nation’s chief infectious disease doctor, estimate that 70% to 85% of the 330 million Americans must be exposed to the virus or vaccine pathogen to reach this level.
A health worker is administering a dose of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in New York on January 30. More Americans received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine than tested positive for the virus.
Photographer: Johnny Milano / Bloomberg
The race for immunity
While past infection can create immunity, it is unclear how long it will last. And it has a cost – not just deaths, but hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and some that report persistent illness and a number of bewildering symptoms, including fatigue, depression and respiratory problems.
“There is a price to pay for suffering and costs for the health system,” said Alessandro Sette, a professor at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology. “It’s prolonged and severe.”
Meanwhile, there have been no deaths related to receiving a Covid-19 vaccine. The US Voluntary Adverse Event Monitoring System includes reports of approximately 290 deaths from a January 22 coronavirus vaccine. immunizations.
The questions persist. It is not yet clear exactly how many people have been vaccinated or infected and may never be. Many more people have had the virus than have tested positive, especially those with mild or asymptomatic cases.
Vaccinations reported are also lower than the number actually administered because people are more focused on injecting them into their arms than recording data into tracking systems, Cannon said. Two shots are needed for full immunity, which only 5.82 million Americans received.
It is still early in the immunization effort, which has been plagued by a lack of coordination, confusion over who should have access and a lack of supply that has reduced the number of people who could get shot in the first weeks of launch.
It’s also important to make sure the right people are immunized to get the most benefits, said Bill Moss, executive director of Johns Hopkins University’s International Vaccine Access Center.
“There are a lot of people who get vaccinated and who are not in high-risk categories,” he said. “If this is the case, it will take longer to see a reduction in serious illness and death. Everyone needs a vaccine at some point, but I’m worried about the inequities in the way the system has been run. ”
Emerging variants have created a new urgency to increase the pace of vaccinations, said Daniela Weiskopf, an assistant research professor at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology. Every time the virus reproduces, there is a chance that a variant will appear.
“The sooner we stop this, the more likely we are not to see more,” she said.
Read the full data and details in Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker Here.
(Updates with the latest vaccine figures throughout)