The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), continues to spread globally. Skyrocketing cases have been reported amid vaccination campaigns. To date, more than 141 million infections are reported globally, and the death toll now sits at over 3 million.
The United States reports the highest number of SARS-CoV-2 infections, reaching over 31.6 million. The country commenced mass vaccination efforts to mitigate the virus spread on December 14, 2020, following the FDA's approval of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on December 10, 2020. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was later approved for use on December 17, 2020, and the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine was approved for use on February 27, 2021
The country has jabbed over 131 million Americans (39.5% of the Total Population), including over 84 million who have been fully vaccinated (25.4%% of the Total Population).
Vaccination efforts
Three vaccines are currently being used in the U.S., the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (over 109.1 million doses), the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (over 92.1 million doses), and the Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine (over 7.9 million doses).
The country has made significant progress in vaccinating seniors who are over the age of 65. Overall, 81 percent of seniors have now had at least their first shot. It is expected that all adults across the country will be eligible for their vaccine in the coming days.
"This means that there has never been a better time than now for seniors and those eligible to get their shots. Make an appointment today. And if you have someone in your life, particularly a senior, who has not gotten a shot yet, reach out and see what help they need," the White House COVID-19 Response Team urged.
They added that the fast pace of the country's vaccination program would help combat the current pandemic. In the last seven days, the country has administered 26,959,025 million shots, which is more than 8.2 percent of the adult population in one week.
The country aims to add at least a dozen new mass vaccination sites by April 19, with the opening of 36 mass vaccination sites that can administer 124,000 shots per day. The number of pharmacies, who will participate in the retail pharmacy program to increase the number of those administering shots, will also be increased.
The country also aims to increase the number of testing sites to detect COVID-19 cases. This way, they can rapidly detect and isolate positive COVID-19 patients to reduce the risk of its further spread.
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Increasing COVID-19 cases
Dr. Fauci reports that the seven-day average for new cases surged by 3 percent. Over the weekend, the CDC reported 75,000 cases and 81,000 cases of COVID-10 each day.
That being said, hospital admissions have also increased, reaching about 5,300 admissions per day, equivalent to a 6.6 percent increase from the past seven days. However, the number of deaths tied to COVID-19 decreased 5.2 percent to a seven-day average of 684 per day.
"Today, CDC is releasing two reports in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that underscore the need to address health inequities in our country, including in our vaccination efforts," Dr. Fauci reported.
The first report showed trends in racial and ethnic disparities and COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. It reports that people from racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, including being at risk for being admitted to the hospital. Hispanic and Latino individuals make up a more significant proportion of patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the second report revealed that based on emergency department visits for COVID-19 between October and December 2020, Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals were 1.7 times more likely to seek emergency care for COVID-19 related illness. Also, Blacks were 1.4 times more likely to seek care in emergency departments.
"At CDC, we have a critical role to play in addressing health equity," Dr. Fauci explained.
"We have made new and expanded investments in racial and ethnic minority communities and other disproportionately affected communities around the country to provide the foundation and resources to help address disparities to COVID-19 and, importantly, to create the infrastructure to address the other health conditions," he added.
The health officials pledged to continue to support and expand efforts to address disparities. They also plan to improve longstanding health disparities through blood pressure management, childhood vaccination, diabetes control, and mental health programs.
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