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Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/c...-cases-rise-again-variants-spread/ar-BB1e3mfI
CDC Director Raises Alarm as Cases Rise Again, Variants Spread
Josh Wingrove and Jill R. Shah 46 mins ago
(Bloomberg) -- States should maintain Covid-19 restrictions such as mask wearing and capacity limitations as case numbers halt their decline, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, citing the circulation of new variants and infection rates that remain alarmingly high.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issued a sobering warning during a press briefing Friday, where she said the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant, first found in the U.K., now accounts for an estimated 10% of current U.S. cases, and that variants in California and New York also appear to spread more easily.
“Things are tenuous -- now is not the time to relax restrictions,” Walensky said. “The latest data suggest that these declines may be stalling, potentially leveling off at still a very high number. We at the CDC consider this a very concerning shift in the trajectory.”
Cases have been falling since mid-January, but have leveled off over the past week at roughly 70,000 new cases a day -- equivalent to the number of cases seen at last summer’s peak. Hospitalizations are also falling though appear to be slowing their decline. Deaths have reversed a decline in recent days.
“We may be done with the virus but clearly the virus is not done with us,” Walensky said...
CDC Director Raises Alarm as Cases Rise Again, Variants Spread
Josh Wingrove and Jill R. Shah 46 mins ago
(Bloomberg) -- States should maintain Covid-19 restrictions such as mask wearing and capacity limitations as case numbers halt their decline, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, citing the circulation of new variants and infection rates that remain alarmingly high.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issued a sobering warning during a press briefing Friday, where she said the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant, first found in the U.K., now accounts for an estimated 10% of current U.S. cases, and that variants in California and New York also appear to spread more easily.
“Things are tenuous -- now is not the time to relax restrictions,” Walensky said. “The latest data suggest that these declines may be stalling, potentially leveling off at still a very high number. We at the CDC consider this a very concerning shift in the trajectory.”
Cases have been falling since mid-January, but have leveled off over the past week at roughly 70,000 new cases a day -- equivalent to the number of cases seen at last summer’s peak. Hospitalizations are also falling though appear to be slowing their decline. Deaths have reversed a decline in recent days.
“We may be done with the virus but clearly the virus is not done with us,” Walensky said...
