Data shows the United States has "survived" an unprecedented wave of infections caused by the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus, with new cases down 90 percent from the pandemic record set five weeks ago. At the same time, shopping malls and shops around the world have gradually resumed normal business, and state governments in many regions have also announced the relaxation of control measures for the epidemic, indicating that the full outbreak stage of the epidemic in the United States is almost over.
As the United States recovers from the Opmiqueron wave, U.S. and state leaders are trying to emerge from the crisis that has plagued everyone since the outbreak began two years ago. Public health leaders have begun to develop plans to address the virus as an ongoing but manageable risk in the future.
According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has recently reported an average of about 84,000 new cases per day, down from the peak of more than 800,000 cases per day on Jan. 15. According to media analysis of the data, this downward trend is widespread across the country, with an average of at least 40 percent daily cases falling across all regions of the United States over the past two weeks.
In addition, hospitalization rates have also dropped dramatically. According to a seven-day average of seven-day data from the Department of Health and Human Services, there were about 66,000 COVID-19 patients in U.S. hospitals as of Monday, down from a peak of 159,000 on Jan. 20.
Covid-19 deaths, which typically lag weeks from increasing cases, have risen but show signs of relief. On Feb. 1, the average daily death toll reached its highest level in about a year, at nearly 2,600 a day, before falling below 2,000.
Jeff Zients, white house coordinator for coronavirus response, told the public at a news conference last week that "while we're not at the level everyone wants to be, we're encouraged that we're seeing a significant drop in cases and hospitalizations across the country." ”
The Omikeron variant led to an unprecedented surge in cases, pushing the number of infections in the United States from less than 100,000 a day after Thanksgiving to 802,000 in mid-January, before falling at an equally rapid pace. Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, said: "It was really fast, it was violent, like a flash flood."
While the U.S. is moving in the right direction, Nuzzo warned that Aumicon's BA.2 subtype could slow the recovery. BA.2 is more contagious than the original omicron strain, although it currently has low levels of transmission in the United States.
"I don't think BA.2 will cause the peak we see in the winter to come," nuzzo said, noting that there may have been quite a bit of immunity in the population after the Opmi-Krong wave. "But it could affect the pace of recovery," she said. ”
Nuzzo said that while infection remains an important early warning sign, hospitalization and mortality are the most important indicators of how the U.S. should further respond to Covid. The Olmikharon virus doesn't usually make people as sick as Delta virus, so the number of infections alone doesn't give a complete picture of how the pandemic is affecting society.
She also said the U.S. now has the ability to focus its response on protecting those who are still vulnerable despite being vaccinated, such as those with compromised immune systems. "We are now in a different state compared to 2020," she said. We have vaccines, we have a virus, on a per-case basis, tends to be less lethal, even though that's largely related to the level of immunity that exists in our population. ”
Coexistence with the coronavirus
California last week spearheaded a national initiative to weather the crisis phase of the pandemic and address the virus as a constantly controlled risk. Gov. Gavin Newsom said California must learn to live with the virus, using tools developed over the past two years to prepare as much as possible for an uncertain future.
Newsom said at a news conference last Thursday, "We all understand that one thing that was not understood at the beginning of this crisis is that it has no end date and no moment to declare victory." ”
California's plan relies on wastewater monitoring to detect rising virus transmission early. If state health officials receive a signal, they will use genetic sequencing to determine if a new variant is spreading. They will then decide within 45 days whether the current vaccines, tests and treatments are still effective for this strain. The state will also send additional testing and medical personnel to areas affected by the rise in the number of infected people.
As the Wave of Omikeron receded, there was a desire to move away from public health measures. The "Mask Order" in indoor public places in New York and California is set to expire this month, but the use of masks in schools is still in effect. New Jersey will remove the requirement to wear masks in schools in March.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said earlier this month that "it's not so much a declaration of victory as an acknowledgement that we can accept it responsibly." ”
Not long ago, the governors of Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and Oregon issued a statement to lift the ban on masks, in addition to plans for public places such as shopping malls, and will lift the mandatory order for full mask wear in schools across the state from the end of February to March. Illinois Governor Pritzker also announced on the 9th that the state's indoor mandatory mask order will be cancelled from the 28th, but prisons, nursing homes and medical institutions, as well as public transportation, will continue to maintain the mask order.
As of now, 11 states have announced the lifting of the mask ban before and after, and it is not difficult to see the urgent expectations of the American people for the early return to normal life.
Nuzzo said it makes sense to remove mask regulations as Omilon fades in states with higher vaccination levels. However, she said it is still a good idea to choose to wear a mask in crowded indoor settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may also update its mask guidelines soon.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said last week that the public health agency would focus more on hospitalizations when it issued guidance on how to respond to the virus in the future.
"We have to use hospital capacity as an extra important barometer," Walensky said, "and we want to free people from things like wearing masks when these metrics are better, and then when things get worse, have the ability to use masks again." ”