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U.S. joins 13 different nations in criticizing WHO’s China Covid report

U.S. joins 13 other nations in criticizing WHO's China Covid report

This photo taken on Feb. 17, 2020 shows medical workers working at an exhibition center that has been converted into a hospital in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province.

STR | AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON – The United States on Tuesday signed a joint statement with 13 other nations criticizing the World Health Organization’s long-awaited report on the origins of Covid-19.

In a joint statement, the governments of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, South Korea, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States wrote that the report “has been significantly delayed and there was no access to complete original data and samples. “

“In the event of a major outbreak of an unknown pandemic pathogen, rapid, independent, expert-led and unhindered origin assessment is critical to better prepare our employees, our public health facilities, our industries and our governments for a successful response to it Outbreak and prevent future pandemics, “the joint statement said.

“In the future, WHO and all Member States must reassign themselves to access, transparency and timeliness,” the group added.

The WHO’s 120-page report, published Tuesday and produced by a team of international scientists, helped improve the scientific community’s understanding of the deadly virus that was conquering the globe, but it fell short of a full assessment back.

“We have not yet found the source of the virus and we must continue to follow science and leave no stone unturned,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference on Tuesday.

“Finding the source of a virus takes time and we owe it to the world to find the source so we can take action together to reduce the risk of its recurrence. No single research trip can provide all the answers,” he added .

At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the Biden administration is still examining the WHO report, adding that the results are “partial and incomplete”.

“The report lacks critical data, information and access. It presents a partial and incomplete picture,” said Psaki. “There is a second phase in this process that we believe should be led by international and independent experts. They should have full access to data,” she added.

Psaki criticized Beijing’s lack of transparency when asked about China’s participation in the WHO report, which was attended by at least 17 experts.

“Well, they weren’t transparent. They didn’t provide any underlying data. That is certainly not a cooperation,” she said.

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Covid in Brazil ‘fully uncontrolled,’ says Sao Paulo-based reporter

Covid in Brazil ‘completely out of control,' says Sao Paulo-based reporter

Brazil has just reached a grim milestone for Covid-19, and a Sao Paulo-based reporter sees no improvement in the situation anytime soon.

“We have people dying of oxygen starvation, people are literally suffocating,” Patricia Campos Mello, a reporter from Folha de Sao Paulo told CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith on Tuesday. “There are no intubation drugs, there are no intensive care beds. It’s a combination of a lack of planning and simply denying the severity of the disease.”

“The situation is completely out of control,” added Campos Mello.

Campos Mello comments came after Brazil registered a record daily number of Covid deaths on Tuesday, which saw more than 3,700 deaths, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health. According to the Johns Hopkins University, Brazil has the second most common Covid death in the world, followed by the US. In addition, less than 2% of the Brazilian population has received at least one dose of vaccine.

However, President Jair Bolsonaro has consistently attacked security measures related to Covid. Earlier this month, he told people to stop “whining” about the deaths and just move on. Campos Mello noted that the world can learn from the mistakes made in Brazil.

“I think the main lesson is that when you have a president or leader who is spreading disinformation and saying that people shouldn’t worry about not having to do social distancing, it is very, very serious, and it’s us I see the results now with all the deaths, “said Campos Mello.

Bolsonaro also replaced some of his senior military officials on Tuesday after sacking a defense minister as part of a major cabinet reshuffle on Monday. Campos Mello told CNBC’s Shepard Smith the political chaos was the result of Bolsonaro’s response to widespread pressure from the country’s mismanagement of the pandemic.

“President Bolsonaro’s approval ratings are falling, so he fired some ministers and today the chiefs of the armed forces resigned because they were pressured by Bolsonaro to curfew or take extreme measures that were almost excessive,” she said.

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Mutations may make present Covid vaccines ineffective quickly: Survey

Mutations could make current Covid vaccines ineffective soon: Survey

Bethany Smith administered a COVID-19 vaccination to a member of the public at a mass vaccination center for the Aneurin Bevan Health Trust on March 14, 2021 in Newbridge, Wales.

Huw Fairclough | Getty Images

According to a majority of epidemiologists, virologists and infectious disease specialists surveyed by the People’s Vaccine Alliance, mutations in the coronavirus could render current vaccines ineffective within a year.

The survey of 77 experts from some of the world’s leading academic institutions in 28 countries found that almost a third found a time frame of nine months or less. Less than one in eight respondents believed that mutations would never render current vaccines ineffective.

Two-thirds felt that we “had a year or less before the virus mutated to such an extent that the majority of first-generation vaccines became ineffective and new or modified vaccines were required”.

The poll, published on Tuesday, was conducted by the People’s Vaccine Alliance – a coalition of over 50 organizations including the African Alliance, Oxfam and UNAIDS – which advocate equal global access to Covid vaccines.

The vast majority of experts – 88% – said that persistent low vaccine coverage would make resistant mutations more likely in many countries. The People’s Vaccine Alliance warned that at the current rate of global vaccination programs, likely only 10% of people in most poor countries will be vaccinated in the next year.

Shots and boosters

In the past year, a number of emergency Covid vaccines were developed, tested and approved. The three vaccines currently used in the West – by Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech, as well as AstraZeneca and Oxford University – are mostly made in the US, UK or the EU, while China and Russia have developed their own vaccines.

Time is of the essence when it comes to life saving immunization. The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in over 127 million Covid infections and over 2.7 million deaths worldwide. The US, Brazil, India, France, Russia and the UK were hardest hit, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The spread of more infectious (and in some cases potentially deadly) variants of the virus in the second half of 2020 has made the race to vaccinate as many people as possible a highly charged event. Vaccine developers have already announced that they will be developing booster shots for variants of Covid that have become more dominant, especially those first discovered in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.

Where do vaccines go

The countries where the shots were designed or manufactured have given vaccination of their own populations varying degrees of priority over exporting cans to other locations.

The distribution of vaccines has already become a source of heightened tension, even among those who already have access to millions of doses, such as the EU and the UK, although both sides have now announced a “win-win” solution for supplies work towards it.

The World Health Organization has made appeals to wealthier nations accused of “stockpiling” vaccines to donate doses to their COVAX initiative, which aims to distribute vaccines fairly among poorer nations racing to protect their populations to be left behind quickly. The WHO said in January that the world was on the verge of “catastrophic moral failure” because of the unfair vaccine introductions.

The People’s Vaccine Alliance poll found that nearly three-quarters of respondents – including experts from Johns Hopkins University, Yale College, Imperial College, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Cambridge University and the University of Cape Town – said that the open sharing of technology and intellectual property could increase vaccine coverage worldwide.

The alliance called for “the lifting of pharmaceutical monopolies and the exchange of technology in order to urgently improve vaccine supply”.

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Double mutation Covid variant in India might unfold to different nations, physician says

Double mutation Covid variant in India may spread to other countries, doctor says

The double mutation of a Covid-19 variant discovered in India is extremely worrying – and, according to Dr. Kavita Patel, a non-resident Brookings Institution scholar, spread to other countries.

“It’s something that should be watched very closely and that won’t be limited to India. It’s something that we will likely see around the world, as we have with other variants,” she told CNBCs on Monday “Street Signs Asia”.

The Indian Ministry of Health said last week that a variant with two mutations – known as E484Q and L452R – was found in the country. The mutations aren’t new, but the variant in India carries both – something that has not been seen in other variants.

The mutations could make the virus more contagious and better bypass the body’s defenses.

A health worker delivers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Bhopal, India on March 25, 2021.

STR | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images

“This double mutation, number one, is incredibly serious. Number two, it’s probably just the tip of the iceberg in what we’d be concerned about in Asia,” said Patel, who is also a former Obama administration official.

She said the mutations could lead to re-infections because the body’s immune system doesn’t recognize them and therefore can’t fight them effectively.

Patel also said she would be concerned about the effects of the mutation if she were an Asian health agency and think about ways to get vaccines as many people as possible.

Indian authorities said that Covid variants, including the double mutation strain, have not been detected in large enough numbers to explain the increase in new infections.

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U.S. Covid pictures near turning pandemic tide

Covid mask mandates should be last measures lifted

The pace of the spread of Covid-19 and the vaccination rate over the next few weeks are key factors in whether the US can avoid another surge in coronavirus infections, said Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Monday.

“If we could just buy a few more weeks and not really see an increase in infections somewhere in the country, we would have got to the point where we have enough vaccines in the population … it will.” was a pretty significant setback – combined with the warming weather – against really a fourth wave of infections, said Gottlieb, noting that states are significantly expanding immunization rights.

“I think we will achieve that,” added the former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, who is now on Pfizer’s board of directors. “It’s a little touch and goes for the next two weeks because we’re seeing some increases in some parts of the country, but it will likely be regionalized. It will likely only be certain states where their cases are increasing.”

Approximately 28% of the US population have received at least one dose of Covid vaccine, and 15.5% were fully vaccinated on Sunday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots for full immunity protection, while Johnson & Johnson’s is a single dose. These are the only three emergency approved in the US

“When Israel hit about 25% of its vaccinated population, they started to see that [case] Declines attributed to vaccination. We are right at this tipping point, “Gottlieb said in an interview on CNBC’s” Squawk Box “.

The moving average of new infections is increasing in 30 states and Washington, DC in seven days, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Gottlieb pointed to Michigan and the Tristate area of ​​New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut as “we see problems” regions.

Overall, the most recent weekly average of new Covid cases in the country is over 63,000, a 16% increase from the previous week. This is evident from the analysis by CNBC. That remains well below the nation’s high in early January of around 250,000.

In the seven-day period ending Friday, hospital admissions for Covid patients increased 4% from the previous week, but fell more than 71% from early January, according to the CDC.

The US recorded an average of 970 Covid deaths per day for the past week, a 3% decrease from the previous year, according to CNBC’s analysis.

Last week, White House chief medical officer Dr. Anthony Fauci, at a press conference that America was “on the corner” in the fight against Covid instead of going around the corner.

– CNBC’s Nate Rattner contributed to this report.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC employee and a member of the boards of directors of Pfizer, genetic testing startup Tempus, health technology company Aetion, and biotech company Illumina. He is also co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean’s Healthy Sail Panel.

Correction: The latest weekly average of new Covid cases in the country of the country is over 63,000, according to CNBC analysis, an increase of 16% from the previous week. An earlier version incorrectly characterized the characters.

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Biden says states ought to reinstate masks mandates and wait to reopen companies as Covid instances rise

Biden says states should reinstate mask mandates and wait to reopen businesses as Covid cases rise

President Joe Biden speaks about Covid-19 reactions and vaccinations in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington DC on March 29, 2021.

Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images

President Joe Biden on Monday called on governors and local leaders dropping full masked mandates in order to reinstate their orders. Some states should wait to reopen their economies while condemning “reckless behavior” that is likely to cause further infections.

“Our work is far from over. The war against Covid-19 is far from won,” Biden said at a press conference in which he announced a number of plans to significantly expand access to vaccines in the coming weeks. “This is dead serious.”

The President said he supported Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said earlier Monday that the US is facing “impending doom” as daily Covid-19 cases begin to rebound. Biden also said he believes some states should pause their reopening plans in light of the recent surge in cases.

Walensky said earlier in the day during a press conference that many states are reopening their economies even though virus transmission levels remain too high. Walensky said she would ask governors on Tuesday “not to open too quickly”.

“I’m going to pause here, I’m going to lose the script, and I’m going to think about the reoccurring feeling I have before the impending doom,” Walensky told reporters. “We can look forward to so much, so much promise and potential where we are and so much reason to hope, but right now I’m scared.”

According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the US saw an average of 63,239 new Covid-19 cases per day over the past week, up 16% from the previous week. In 30 states and the District of Columbia, daily cases are increasing by at least 5%.

While hospital stays and coronavirus deaths tend to lag behind infection, the daily death toll has hit a plateau. The U.S. reports a weekly average of 970 coronavirus deaths per day, a 3% decrease from the previous week, according to Johns Hopkins.

“We’re giving up hard-fought, hard-won wins,” said Biden. “And as much as we do in America, it’s time to do more.”

Urging states and corporations to maintain or reintroduce widespread mask mandates, the president said failure to take the virus seriously “is exactly what got us into this chaos in the first place” and could lead to more infections and deaths .

Senior public health officials have urged states to proceed with caution for weeks, warning that highly transmittable virus variants – particularly B.1.1.7, which were first identified in the UK – threaten to jeopardize the country’s progress after the infections are almost have receded for three months.

Despite these requests, a handful of governors have decided to lift capacity restrictions on businesses like restaurants and gyms. Some states, like Texas and Mississippi, have dropped requirements for statewide masks, while others, like Alabama, announced it in early April.

“We’re making progress on vaccinations, but cases are rising and the virus is still spreading in too many places,” Biden said.

He announced that 90% of adults in the US will be eligible for Covid-19 shots by April 19 and can get it within five miles of their home under the government’s expanded vaccination schedule.

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CDC chief warns U.S. headed for ‘impending doom’ as Covid instances rise once more: ‘Proper now I am scared’

CDC chief warns U.S. headed for 'impending doom' as Covid cases rise again: 'Right now I'm scared'

The US faces “impending doom” as daily Covid-19 cases rise again and threaten to send more people to hospital, despite vaccinations accelerating nationwide, the head of the US Centers for Control and Prevention said of diseases on Monday.

“When I started at CDC about two months ago, I made a promise to you: I would tell you the truth if it wasn’t the news we wanted to hear. Now is one of those times when I share the truth and I have to hope and trust that you will listen, “said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a press conference.

“I’m going to pause here, I’m going to lose the script, and I’m going to think about the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” Walensky said. “We can look forward to so much, so much promise and potential where we are and so much reason to hope, but right now I’m scared.”

According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the US is seeing a weekly average of 63,239 new Covid-19 cases per day, up 16% from the previous week. Daily cases now grow at least 5% in 30 states and DC

Coronavirus hospital stays are also increasing. The US reports a 7-day average of 4,816 Covid-19 hospital admissions on Friday, up 4.2% from the previous week, according to CDC data.

Walensky urged Americans to “hold out just a little longer” and get vaccinated against the virus as soon as it is their turn. When cases come up like they have in the last week or so, Walensky said, “they often sway shortly after and bubble big”.

“I’m not necessarily speaking today as your CDC director and not just as your CDC director, but as a woman, as a mother, as a daughter, asking you to please hold on for a while,” said Walensky.

Leading public health experts have warned since late February that infections could pick up again amid the surge in virus variants threatening the US, similar to Europe.

One of these variants, first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, has now been discovered in all states except Oklahoma, according to the latest data from the CDC. The CDC is also closely monitoring another variant found in New York City known as B.1.526, which is also considered more transmissible compared to previous strains, Walensky said last week.

The Chief Medical Officer of the White House, Dr. However, Anthony Fauci said Sunday the disruptive virus mutations aren’t the only reason cases are on the rise.

More and more Americans, fed up with pandemic restrictions and reassured by the life-saving vaccines, are heading for the spring break. Some heads of state are pulling back restrictions, including masked mandates, to help slow the spread of the virus.

“We take variations seriously and are concerned, but it’s not just variations that do that,” Fauci told CBS ‘Face the Nation on Sunday.

The vaccine rollout is accelerating

Walensky’s grim warning followed an otherwise optimistic update on the country’s vaccine rollout.

The US is administering an average of 2.7 million shots per day weekly. This is “significant progress” toward President Joe Biden’s new goal of administering 200 million shots in his first 100 days in office, said Andy Slavitt, White House senior advisor on Covid Response.

“This is good news. We are on the right track, but we cannot slow down. Millions remain unvaccinated and at risk,” said Slavitt.

Over 72% of Americans age 65 and over have now received at least one dose of vaccine, while nearly half of that age group are considered fully vaccinated. More than a third of all American adults have now received at least one shot, CDC data shows.

A new study by the agency on Monday found that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were shown to be highly effective at just one dose.

The study, which examined nearly 4,000 health care workers, first responders and frontline workers between December 14 and March 1, found that vaccines were 80% effective against coronavirus infections after just a single dose.

However, federal health officials claimed two doses were better than one, adding that the vaccines’ effectiveness rose to 90% two weeks after the second shot.

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CDC examine reveals single dose of Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccines was 80% efficient

CDC changes Covid vaccine guidance to OK mixing Pfizer and Moderna shots

According to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of vaccinated health care workers, a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna was 80% effective in preventing coronavirus infections.

The effectiveness of the partial immunization was noted two weeks after the first dose, according to the CDC, which studied nearly 4,000 health care workers, first responders and frontline workers between December 14 and March 13, according to other key study staff, which began on Monday had no prior laboratory documentation of the Covid-19 infection.

Two doses are better than one, federal health officials said, adding that the vaccines’ effectiveness rose to 90% two weeks after the second dose.

“These results show that approved mRNA-COVID-19 vaccines in adults of working age effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection under real conditions, regardless of symptom status,” wrote the US agency in the study. “The COVID-19 vaccination is recommended to all entitled persons.”

The new CDC results should back up arguments by some health experts and health officials that the US should give Americans only one dose of vaccines as a priority before moving on to a second dose, accelerating the pace of vaccination across the country.

The CDC results were released just minutes before the press conference by the agency’s director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the hospital also released as vaccinations nationwide expedite.

Unlike the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires one dose, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two vaccinations three to four weeks apart. The Chief Medical Officer of the White House, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has said repeatedly over the past few months that the US should stick to the two-dose regime.

Dr. Paul Offit, a voting member of the FDA’s Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Related Biological Products who reviewed both Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines for emergency approval, said the CDC study was overall “good news” .

However, he said he feared people would now think a dose of the vaccines was “good enough” and would not return for a second shot. He said studies have shown that immunity actually appears to be “more permanent” after the second dose, meaning protection may last longer.

“The reason these are two-dose vaccines is because the second dose provides a titer of neutralizing antibodies, virus-specific neutralizing antibodies, that is nearly ten times greater than the first dose,” he told CNBC. Neutralizing antibodies play an important role in the defense of cells against the virus.

Second, and more importantly, scientists have also discovered what are known as T cells, another important part of the immune response that usually lasts longer Immunity, he said.

There are also still questions about the highly contagious variants and whether the vaccines protect mild to moderate forms of the disease, he said.

Of the 3,950 participants in the study, 2,479, or 62.8%, received both recommended doses, and 477, or 12.1%, received only one dose, according to the CDC. The infection rate among the vaccinated participants was 0.04 compared to 1.38 among the non-vaccinated participants.

The study was conducted in eight locations in the United States: Phoenix, Tucson, and other areas in Arizona; Miami, Florida; Duluth, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; Temple, Texas; and Salt Lake City, Utah. The majority of the participants were female, white, and had no chronic illnesses, according to the CDC.

The study had limitations, the CDC said, adding that delays in deliveries could reduce virus detection sensitivity of Covid-19 tests.

Preliminary real-world vaccine efficacy results for both vaccines complement and expand on estimates of vaccine efficacy from other recent studies, the CDC said. A large study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February found that Pfizer’s vaccine was 94% effective against symptomatic Covid.

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Rise in Covid instances cannot be blamed on variants alone as journey resumes

'I totally disagree with you,' Fauci tells GOP senator in fiery exchange over masks

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, testifies on the federal response to the coronavirus on Capitol Hill during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on March 18, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Susan Walsh | Pool | Getty Images

The recent spike in new Covid-19 infections cannot be attributed to highly transmissible variants alone, as more Americans travel to spring break and states lift repeal restrictions, including mask mandates, to slow the spread of the virus, according to the white’s chief medical officer House, Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday.

After nearly three months of decline, U.S. coronavirus cases are starting to recover. According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the country reports a weekly average of 61,821 new Covid-19 cases per day, up 12% from the previous week.

It’s a result that public health experts, including Fauci, have been warning of since late February after daily infections plateaued due to the surge in virus variants that are too common in the US, as in Europe.

A variant first identified in the UK in relation to public health professionals, known as B.1.1.7, has been discovered in all states except Oklahoma, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other highly transmissible variants, first found in South Africa and Brazil, referred to as B.1.351 and P.1, respectively, have now been identified in the United States. The CDC is carefully tracking another variant found in New York City called B.1.526, which is also believed to be more transmissible compared to previous strains, said agency director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, on Wednesday.

A more transmissible virus could lead to more infections and inevitably hospitalizations and deaths, even if the most at risk are vaccinated against the disease, experts warn, making the race to vaccinate more people crucial. However, Fauci said the disruptive mutations aren’t the only reason the cases are on the rise.

“What we’re likely to see is due to things like the spring break and the withdrawal of the mitigation methods you’ve seen. Now several states have done that,” Fauci told CBS ‘Face the Nation on Sunday.

“We take variations seriously and are concerned, but it’s not just variations that do that,” he said.

Despite repeated warnings from the Biden administration, some states have pushed ahead with reopening their economies, citing accelerated vaccine adoption and declining cases and hospital stays as reasons.

State officials have lifted capacity restrictions on businesses like gyms and restaurants, while a handful of them have canceled or plan to remove statewide mask requirements. Millions of Americans cooped up last year are going back to heaven and using cheap flights and hotels while they last.

“Even with the people on the planes wearing masks when you get to the airport, the check-in lines, the food lines for restaurants, the boarding that you see, people can gather sometimes, these are things that elevate.” always the risk of infection, “said Fauci on Sunday.

Other high-level health officials in Biden have warned that now is not the time to relax restrictions. Walensky said during a press conference at the White House Friday that she was “deeply concerned” with the progress of the nation’s epidemic.

“We have seen cases and hospital admissions that have gone from historical declines to stagnation and growth. We know from previous waves that if we don’t control things now, the epidemic curve can rise again,” Walensky said.

– CNBC’s Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.

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The U.S. is in a fragile place as Covid instances improve alongside vaccinations, specialists warn

Say goodbye to $30 plane tickets. The era of dirt-cheap flights is ending

Revelers flock to the beach to celebrate the spring break while coronavirus disease (COVID-19) broke out in Miami Beach, Florida, United States on March 6, 2021.

Marco Bello | Reuters

With the possibility of summer barbecues in a few months’ time and the promise of widespread supplies of Covid-19 vaccines in the US by the end of May, many Americans may feel that the nation has finally turned the pandemic around.

But the country is not there for leading infectious disease experts.

“When I am often asked: ‘Are we going to turn the corner?’ My answer is more like, “We’re on the corner,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Officer of the White House, during a press conference on Wednesday.

Before the US can achieve its long-awaited goal – a semblance of normality before the pandemic – it needs to get more vaccines up its arms, infectious disease experts tell CNBC. As the US continues to report new daily vaccination records, the number of new cases is growing again.

According to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the US is seeing a weekly average of 61,821 new Covid-19 cases per day, up 12% from the previous week. Daily cases now grow at least 5% in 27 states and DC

Coronavirus hospital stays are also starting to recover. The U.S. reported an average of 7,790 Covid-19 hospital admissions in seven days on Thursday, up 2.6% from the previous week. This is based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“We are in a delicate and difficult transition phase,” said Dr. William Schaffner, epidemiologist and professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University, told CNBC. “We’re fine, but we’re not there yet.”

Do not fiddle with the ball

The surge in infections coincides with an accelerated vaccination campaign that is gradually reaching more people.

The U.S. currently administers an average of 2.6 million shots a day, and more than a third of American adults have received at least one dose, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Almost half of people aged 65 and over have all of the necessary recordings, CDC data shows. However, only 19.4% of the adult population are considered fully vaccinated, which is necessary to achieve the high level of protection offered by current Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

While most states announced plans to open up vaccination eligibility to all adults ahead of President Joe Biden’s May 1 deadline, only six have chosen to offer vaccinations across the board, according to the latest data from the New York Times.

“We’re on the proverbial 10-yard line,” said Schaffner. “We’re going to get the ball over and have a touchdown, but not fumble the ball on the 10-yard line.”

Some states are largely reopening their economies while dropping mask mandates too soon, Schaffner added. The return of travelers in the spring break using cheap flights and hotels has further increased the risk of further infections.

“All of these things could mean that in cases before the vaccinations really reduce transmission, there is another increase,” Schaffner said. “We run the risk – and I mean the risk – of seeing another surge within the next two months.”

Variants threaten

Another problem is the spread of highly infectious coronavirus variants, particularly the variant first identified in the UK called B.1.1.7., Infectious disease experts told CNBC. The CDC is carefully tracking another variant found in New York City called B.1.526, which is also considered more transmissible compared to previous strains, said agency director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, on Wednesday.

A more transmissible virus could lead to more infections and inevitably hospitalizations and deaths, even if the most at risk are vaccinated against the disease, experts warn, making the race to vaccinate more people crucial.

“The variants are really quite a key to the response,” said Dr. Angela Hewlett, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, saying that the vaccines should continue to provide protection.

“We just need to vaccinate more of our population to really stamp out this thing,” said Hewlett.

Increased travel could aid the spread of B.1.1.7, which is a particular problem in Florida, where visitors outside of the state during the spring break could bring the virus back to their local communities, said Cindy Prins, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida.

According to the latest CDC data, Florida has identified more than 1,000 coronavirus cases with variant B.1.1.7, the most so far in any state.

“There is no doubt that there are a lot of people who have come from outside the state. That happens every year for the spring break,” said Prins. “And then the concern is what will be brought back into their own state. Will they bring the variant back?”

– CNBC’s Hannah Miao contributed to this report.