The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned Monday that the recent progress made in the United States in combating COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, could be lost due to new strains and prematurely easing lockdown measures.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that she is “really worried” about the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions nationwide as CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases appear to be leveling off at a “very high number.”
The CDC head said that on average over the last week, the number of daily COVID-19 cases and deaths have risen by approximately 2 percent, compared to the week prior.
“With these new statistics, I am really worried about reports that more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from COVID-19,” Walensky said during a White House press briefing. “I understand the temptation to do this—70,000 cases a day seems good compared to where we were just a few months ago—but we cannot be resigned to 70,000 cases a day, 2,000 daily deaths.”
“Please hear me clearly: At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard-earned ground we have gained,” Walensky continued.
Restrictions implemented to curb the transmission of the CCP virus are gradually being eased in several states. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday ended his statewide mask mandate while allowing all businesses in the state to fully reopen. Meanwhile, Arkansas is discussing potentially rolling back their mask mandates in the coming weeks.
“These variants are a very real threat to our people and to our progress. Now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that we know could stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, not when we are so close,” Walensky said.
The CDC has, as of Feb. 28, identified 2,400 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, 53 cases of the B.1.351 strain first identified in South Africa have been found, while 10 cases of the P.1 Brazil variant have been discovered so far in the United States.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a press briefing Monday that health officials remain wary of a variant of the CCP virus detected recently in the state of New York, known as B.1.526.
“We certainly are taking the New York variant, the 526 [B.1.526] very seriously,” Fauci said. “We have to really keep an eye on that for its ability to evade both monoclonal antibodies and to a certain extent, the vaccine-induced antibodies, so it’s something we take very, very seriously.”
Walensky urged Americans to continue with social distancing measures in order to slow the spread of the virus.
“We have the ability to stop a potential fourth surge of cases in this country. Please stay strong in your conviction, continue wearing your well-fitted mask and taking the other public health prevention actions that we know work,” she said.
According to the White House, as of Monday, 50 million Americans had been administered at least one dose of the currently available Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson was approved by the FDA on Feb. 27, and requires only one dose.