James GordonThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that about 92,000 more people will die from the virus in the next three weeks.
In Pennsylvania, hospitalizations are twice the spring peak. Louisiana’s governor said earlier this week that there has been a huge spike in infections and hospitalizations in the state. And in Arizona, authorities reported Tuesday hospitalizations and intensive care units in Covid-19.
Hundreds of thousands of infections are added to the statistics every day, and more than three million new infections have been reported in the United States since the beginning of the month.
Error! The file name is not specified.
In Los Angeles County, about one in three residents has contracted the virus since the pandemic began, according to county data. Epidemics have increased in workplaces, schools and daycare centers, they say.
Echoing the warnings of other leaders, Los Angeles officials added that they were not yet fully convinced of the impact of the transfer between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
And now, on the eve of opening day, all eyes are on the nation’s capital, with more cases in Washington than ever before. There are now over 320 new cases per day on average, about 38% more than last week. Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of more than 32,600 cases of covid-19 have been reported in Washington, D.C., with approximately 10% of these cases added in 2021.
States shall expand vaccine-eligible groups
According to the CDC, to date, more than 29.3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been distributed across the country and more than 10.2 million Americans have received their first dose.
And some experts are calling on states to open up access to vaccines to more groups to speed up vaccine administration.
Error! The file name is not specified.
In New Jersey, residents 65 and older and residents 16 to 64 with certain chronic diseases can now be vaccinated, authorities said Wednesday. California has also expanded eligibility criteria to include individuals 65 and older. A press release from the state Department of Health added that health care providers and residents of long-term care facilities remain California’s top immunization priority.
There is no higher priority than the effective and equitable distribution of these vaccines as soon as possible to those facing the most serious consequences, Gavin Newsom said in a statement. People 65 and older are now the next group eligible for vaccination. Those who can’t be vaccinated yet are now up for it.
These announcements followed similar statements by state leaders, including the governor of Mississippi. Tate Reeves, who said earlier this week that residents aged 65 or older or people with pre-existing conditions can be scheduled for Covid 19 vaccination.
My top priority is not to try to fight this pandemic with ever more stringent orders, Reeves said. It’s about continually improving the delivery of the vaccine, and that’s what we’re focusing on now.
Opening of mass vaccination centres
And by expanding the list of those who can be vaccinated, states have more options for where residents can be vaccinated.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is working on a plan to use Yankee Stadium as a vaccination site, the mayor said Wednesday.
The plan is currently being developed, he said, adding that the city will provide more details once the plan is finalized.
Error! The file name is not specified.
De Blasio’s announcement comes the day after Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets, announced that a 24-hour playground will be set up at Citi Field in Queens later this month.
Officials in Hawaii said Wednesday they are opening two new Covid-19 mass vaccination sites that they hope will vaccinate 3,000 to 4,000 people a day in a few weeks.
And in California, the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim is now hosting the first Super Covid 19 vaccination in Orange County. Hundreds of cars lined up at Wednesday’s official opening, reported KCAL/KCBS, a subsidiary of CNN.
The site will be able to vaccinate up to 7,000 people a day, acting county chairman Andrew Do said at a news conference Wednesday.
How pharmacies can help.
Pharmacies will also play a key role in the introduction of vaccines.
The director of one of the country’s largest pharmacy chains expressed optimism Wednesday that up to one million doses of vaccine a day could soon be distributed.
Error! The file name is not specified.
We are optimistic that there will soon be a federal program that will provide access to more direct-to-consumer pharmacies across the country, said Karen Lynch, Executive Vice President of CVS Health, on Wednesday at the annual J.P. Morgan Health Care conference.
According to Lynch, CVS can provide 25 million vaccinations per month through its outlets nationwide.
We have a broad reach, Lynch said, adding that the company’s 10,000 stores can reach about 85 percent of the U.S. population.
Walgreens also said earlier this week that it expects to deploy about 30 million doses of Covida 19 vaccine across the country by the end of the summer, once the vaccines are available to the general population.
The pharmacy chain said it is recruiting and training staff and expanding its digital and telephone booking capabilities to prepare for wider use of vaccines.
We’re making sure everyone is ready as soon as the vaccines are available in bulk, which is expected to happen in March or April, Walgreens CEO Alexander Gourlay told the conference.
Amanda Watts, Alexandra Meeks, Gregory Lemos, Lauren Del Valle, Jamiel Lynch, Michael Nedelman, and Sarah Moon contributed to this report.
Related Tags:
covid trends, coronavirus trends by state, covid cases by county
James Gordon
