Despite the increasing number of vaccinations being administered each day, the coronavirus is over yet in the United States.
The state of Michigan has been hit the hardest and authorities are fairly concerned about its rapid spread. There are currently 7,80,000 active COVID-19 cases in Michigan, and more than 17,000 people have lost their lives.
In the last two weeks, there has been a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases. According to Meredith Hill, emergency room supervisor of Sparrow Hospital, the increase in the number of cases can perhaps be attributed to the large-scale spread in the community.
Another patient, who probably caught the virus at his daycare center, spoke of his struggles after being tested positive for the virus. He claimed that ever since the family contracted the virus, the journey has been difficult and unpleasant.
Although the reasons for the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases are still unclear, The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has declared that the sudden and unanticipated rise in cases is due to young Americans. They didn’t clarify how the young Americans have contributed to the spread, but the reopening of schools and restaurants may have contributed to the unprecedented rise in the number of cases in Michigan.
These concerns were shared by Dr. Rochelle Walensky who serves as the director of CDC. She suggests that young children and adults account for a greater number of new COVID-19 cases, who have quite possibly been infected through continuous exposure to sports activities and schools. Moreover, Walensky has also claimed the impending threat posed by the B.1.1.7 variant from the U.K. It has already reached the United States and is primarily responsible for at least a quarter of the new cases.
However, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the presence of the B.1.17 variant.
As Walensky claimed, we only know that the variant is more infectious and can be transmitted approximately 50-100% more than the normal virus. What we still don’t know is the possibility of the virus being transferrable in different age groups.
The only good news is that approximately four million vaccinations had been administered till the last week. Thus, if we’re to go by statistics, then around 23% of the entire U.S population is fully vaccinated. The coming weeks are going to witness a massive rise in the number of vaccinations administered as states are finally expanding eligibility criteria on President Biden’s orders.
