You should read the sinister new warning of coronavirus Dr. Fauci – BGR

• The most contagious COVID-19 strains in the UK and South Africa are already spreading to dozens of US states.
• The new strains threaten to hinder what has been huge progress in the fight to reduce the rate of coronavirus infection.
• New COVID-19 infections have decreased significantly in the last few weeks and decreased by 43% in the last two weeks alone.

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In the last 12 months, the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked unprecedented havoc in the United States. To date, the United States has reported nearly 28 million coronavirus infections and more than 490,000 COVID-related deaths.

The good news, however, is that we are finally beginning to see significant progress in the effort to defeat the final coronavirus. For starters, the rate of COVID infection has dropped by 43% in the last two weeks alone. In fact, the rate of COVID infection today is about as low as it was until October. Moreover, coronavirus-related hospitalizations and deaths have both dropped by more than 30% in the past two weeks.

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Beyond that, the COVID vaccination effort – after a slow start – is now moving faster than many health experts have predicted. While the initial goal was to administer 1 million doses of vaccine each day, the US today is on average about 1.6 million doses of vaccine per day. Keep this in mind: From Thursday to Sunday, an average of 1.9 doses of vaccine were given each day.

However, there is finally reason to be optimistic that the coronavirus pandemic will be nothing more than a distant memory until this time next year. However, it is important to remember that we have not yet left the forest. Despite the encouraging decline in the infection rate and a promising vaccination effort, the new COVID strains in the UK and South Africa have many health experts concerned.

As you’ve probably heard by now, the new COVID strains in the UK and South Africa are 50% more contagious than the original strain because they are thought to cause longer periods of infection.

A recent Harvard study notes:

These data provide evidence that SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 can cause longer-term infections with a similar peak viral concentration compared to non-B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2, and this extended duration may contribute to B.1.1. .7 Increased transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2. The findings are preliminary, as they are based on seven cases B.1.1.7. However, if confirmed by additional data, a longer isolation period than currently recommended may be required 10 days after the onset of the symptom to effectively stop secondary infections by this variant.

Both strains are already in the US and some experts believe the strain in the UK could become dominant next month.

Even more problematic is that the South African strain is somewhat more resistant to existing COVID-19 vaccines. There is also speculation that both strains are more deadly than the original ones.

In light of the above, Dr. Fauci warns that people should continue to follow the existing safety guidelines for coronavirus, as the new strains have the potential to cause massive outbreaks.

“The number of cases is declining on a fairly steep downward trajectory now,” Fauci said. “This can turn around and go in the wrong direction if we have a predominance of a virus that has a better degree of transmissibility. This variant situation dominates the image a little. ”

At this time, there is almost one vaccination race for as many Americans as possible before the more contagious COVID-19 strains become dominant. Of course, the vaccination effort itself is hampered by two variables: a limited amount of vaccine and a general distrust of the COVID-19 vaccine itself.

At this point, Fauci said:

But when you have a degree of hesitation about the vaccine in the general community – people who are vaccine deniers or skeptics or hesitant – we have no good mechanism to make vaccination to the general public. You can do this in schools or hospitals. Elsewhere, this is really a problem.

In order to obtain immunity from the herd, it is estimated that 75 to 80% of the country will have to be vaccinated, ie about 260 million people. To date, nearly 41 million Americans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, which means it could take several more months to reach herd immunity.

The good news is that Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 one-shot vaccine could receive an emergency use authorization from the FDA later this month. If this happens, the supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the US would increase significantly and help accelerate the vaccination effort.