Covid cases have continued to drop dramatically, and hit another milestone as the seven day average of new infections dropped below 100,000-a-day for the first time since December 1.
The United States is now averaging 85,495 new cases a day, according to Johns Hopkins data – a 44 per cent drop in a week, and the lowest figure in almost three months.
Covid’s grip on the country has weakened considerably over the last month. Daily case averages have dropped for 28 consecutive days, dating back to January 24. A surge caused by the super-infectious but milder Omicron variant peaked in mid-January, reaching 800,000 cases per day before beginning its plummet. Since the peak, cases have fallen 89 percent.
The rapid decline in Omicron cases after reaching their peak – a phenomenon recorded in other countries like the UK, South Africa and Denmark as well – combined with the relatively mild nature of the highly infectious strain has officials hopeful the variant is the final stage of Covid’s ‘pandemic’ phase.
Between a robust booster campaign – with more than 70 percent of eligible Americans having received the shot – and millions of Americans also having natural immunity because of previous infection, Omicron may have just run out of people to infect.
Many experts are hopeful this will usher in the ‘endemic’ phase of Covid where humans may be able to live alongside the virus with virtually no restrictions whatsoever, similar to the flu.
California has become the first state to declare Covid as an ‘endemic’, with Gov Gavin Newson announcing last week that the nation’s most populous state was set to move on from the pandemic. The Golden state joined a group of nearly a dozen blue states that lifted pandemic-related restrictions in mid-February.
Falling Covid numbers, along with the slew of blue states to relax measures, has increased pressure of the White House and the CDC to lift remaining pandemic-related restrictions. The CDC still recommends masking in schools and other indoor public places despite many remaining states dropping restrictions.
Americans must also mask in airports and on planes, thanks to an ongoing federal law, with Amtrak and other public transit organizations also imposing the rules.
Pressure is coming from abroad as well, as European nations start to declare the pandemic over and move back to a ‘normal’ life. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to lift the little remaining Covid restrictions – including isolation requirements for a positive test – this week.
Earlier this month, the nation removed many other restrictions like work from home orders, mask mandates and capacity restrictions on certain venues. A requirement for National Health Service employees to be vaccinated in order to stay on the job may be removed. Proof of vaccination requirements at some venues will be dropped as well.
U.S. federal officials are reportedly looking towards the end of the pandemic, though. Controlling Covid will now require the use of regular, likely annual, booster shots. Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Food and Drug Administration has already begun the process of reviewing data for fourth doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
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Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has suggested since last year that it was likely there could be a fourth shot. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in January that these repeated shots would be necessary long-term to keep Covid under control. Israel, which has been ahead of the U.S. during its vaccine rollout, recently made fourth shots available to its elderly population as well.
Some Americans already can receive fourth vaccine doses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that immunocompromised Americans receive the additional shot to shore up protection against Omicron. While the Omicron variant poses little risk to the general population, some people with serious comorbidities are still at risk of severe infection if they do catch the virus.
There are fears that Americans will not be willing to continue receiving Covid vaccine doses, though, especially if they do not feel the virus is a major threat. Despite booster shots becoming available to the general population in late-September, uptake of the boosters did not peak until Omicron arrived in December.
The population waiting for Covid cases to spike, or waiting for a variant that is perceived to be more dangerous, to arrive before receiving additional shots is what opens the door to future variants and outbreaks.
Covid deaths are starting to drop at a rapid rate in the U.S. as well. The nation is averaging 1,862 daily Covid deaths, down 20 percent over the past week. It is the first day since January 19 that daily deaths in the country have fallen below 2,000 per day, though lags in reporting caused by the Presidents Day holiday is likely playing a role.
Covid cases are falling over the past two weeks in every state in America. The largest fall is being recording in Mississippi, a promising sign for a state still being hit hard by the Omicron variant. The Magnolia state, which has a vaccination rate of only 51 percent, has had its daily cases drop 79 percent over the past two weeks.
The state is still among the leaders in Covid mortality, though, with 1.33 of every 100,000 residents dying from the virus daily, one of the highest rates in America. Deaths often lag behind cases, though, and it is likely that this figure will begin to plummet in the near future as well.
Maryland has the lowest infection rate in America, recording 12 daily cases for every 100,000 residents. In total, eleven states are now recording 20 or less daily cases per every 100,000 residents, as Covid continues to recede all across America.
None of the 50 states are recording more than 100 daily cases per 100,000 residents. Kentucky was the last remaining state in this group during the Omicron surge but has now fallen below the threshold as well.
Seven states, including Mississippi, are recording more than one daily Covid death per 100,000 residents. All but one are southern states with relatively low vaccination rates.
Tennessee is once again the nationwide leader in Covid mortality, with 1.43 deaths per 100,000 residents every day. The state has only vaccinated 53 percent of its residents. West Virginia (1.33 daily deaths per 100,000 residents; 57 percent vaccination rate), Oklahoma (1.23; 56), Arkansas (1.07; 53), Alabama (1.05; 50).
Maine is an outlier, with the state recording 1.4 deaths per 100,000 residents despite having one of the nation’s best vaccination rates at 78 percent.
