The past few weeks have shown a promising turn of events amid the ongoing coronavirus of pandemic, with the number of new coronavirus cases declining in the U.S. – as of February 12, single day reports of new cases have fallen below 100,000 for the first time in months.
However, even with the decrease in cases, the US is still experiencing 1,500 to 3,500 deaths per day, according to data from The Atlantic’s COVID Tracking Project.
On Monday (February 22), the country reached a grim milestone: More than 500,000 people have lost their lives to COVID-19, based on data from John Hopkins University. The U.S. also has the highest count of number of cases among all the countries around the globe, with more than 28 million people who have tested positive for coronavirus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said in an interview with Reuters on Monday (February 22) that “stunning” number of deaths should not have happened in a “rich and sophisticated country.”
“Even under the best of circumstances, this would have been a very serious problem,” Dr. Fauci said, noting how countries such as Germany and the U.K. struggled with the virus, despite strong adherence to public health measures.
“However, that does not explain how a rich and sophisticated country can have the most percentage of deaths and be the hardest-hit country in the world,” he added. “That I believe should not have happened.”
The numbers of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths spiked dramatically following holiday season. And, with spring break coming up, public health experts have expressed concern that the upcoming spring break might bring about dire consequences.
“Any event that involves increased travel and people relaxing preventative measures is a concern,” said Dr. Amber D’Souza, a professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
She also talked about the behavioral pattern that has emerged over the past year – in places with severe outbreaks, people typically respond by vigilantly practicing safety measures such as staying home, practicing social distancing and wearing masks. However, as the situation improves and restrictions are rolled back, many tend to relax their vigilance as well.
“This is exactly what we saw after Thanksgiving and after Christmas,” she said. “It’s an ongoing cycle and an ongoing concern.”
Despite the declining number of new cases, experts have continued to urge everyone to continue practicing social distancing and wearing masks.
“It’s encouraging to see these trends coming down, but they’re coming down from an extraordinarily high place,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday (February 14).
“All of it is really wraps up into we can’t let our guard down,” Dr. Walensky said. “We have to continue wearing masks. We have to continue with our current mitigation measures. And we have to continue getting vaccinated as soon as that vaccine is available to us.”
Take care and stay safe, everyone!
