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Washington state infections and hospitalizations hit document

Washington state infections and hospitalizations hit record

An infection control nurse accompanies a patient who was born on Jan.

Karen Ducey | Getty Images

Covid-19 transmissions and hospitalizations in Washington state are at all-time highs, according to the state’s Department of Health.

On July 8, Washington recorded a Covid infection prevalence of 1 in 588 residents. Just one month later, on August 6, that number almost quadrupled to a Covid infection prevalence of 1 in 156 residents, the department said on Thursday. The latest numbers exceeded those of the state’s third wave of Covid infections in the winter of 2020.

According to a CNBC analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University, Washington state reports a seven-day average of 38.5 daily new cases per 100,000 population, ranking 22nd among all states.

Four counties had 14-day new infection rates of 500 per 100,000 Washington residents and five counties had rates of 300 to 500 per 100,000 residents. Sixteen counties had rates from 200 to 300 and 12 counties had rates from 100 to 200. The delta variant accounts for 98% of the cases in the state.

Hospital admissions in the state also rose, with a seven-day moving average of 29 hospital admissions for Covid on June 16. The number remained relatively low through July 8, but tripled by August 6 to a seven-day moving average of 96 hospital admissions for Covid symptoms. The state found that hospital admissions for people between the ages of 20 and 30 have increased, a trend seen in hospitals across the country as most older Americans were vaccinated.

Admissions to state hospitals for the unvaccinated and over 65s are six times higher than for those who are fully vaccinated. In people aged 16 to 64, unvaccinated people are ten times more likely to be hospitalized than their vaccinated counterparts. “If the entire population were to experience the hospitalization rates currently observed in unvaccinated people, the hospital system would be completely overwhelmed,” the state health department said in a statement.

Death rates have been down since Jan.

Immunity to prior infection in the state is only 15.5%, which would leave 84.5% of Washington residents unprotected if they did not have access to Covid-19 vaccines. According to the Ministry of Health, by August 16, 71.5% of the population aged 12 and over had received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.

In the nationwide population, immunity to previous infections and vaccinations is 54.7%, an increase of only 2.8% since July 6.

“It is imperative to realize that literally any of us or our loved ones could be in need of hospital treatment in the near future,” said Acting State Science Director Dr. Scott Lindquist. “To ensure that care is available when needed, our hospitals are currently counting on each of us to be masked and vaccinated.”

CNBC’s Nate Rattner contributed to this report.

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5 U.S. states set new data for Covid circumstances as hospitalizations rise

Five U.S. states set new records for Covid cases as hospitalizations rise

Five states broke records for the average number of daily new Covid cases over the weekend as the delta variant strains hospital systems across the U.S. and forces many states to reinstate public health restrictions.

Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, Oregon and Mississippi all reached new peaks in their seven-day average of new cases per day as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. On a per capita basis, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida are suffering from the three worst outbreaks in the country.

Daily new Covid cases per 100,000 residents

Note: Lines show seven-day average of daily new cases.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, CNBC analysis. As of August 15, 2021.

Daily new Covid cases per

100,000 residents

Note: Lines show seven-day average of daily

new cases.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, CNBC

analysis. As of August 15, 2021.

Daily new Covid cases per 100,000 residents

Note: Lines show seven-day average of daily new cases.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, CNBC analysis. As of August 15, 2021.

Louisiana recorded an average of 126 cases per 100,000 residents as of Sunday, more than three times the national average, while Mississippi and Florida averaged 110 and 101 cases per 100,000 residents, respectively, according to the data.

“We’re in the middle of the summer, people are gathering again with people, they’re in large groups, the vaccine has given a false sense of security in some ways to people, and they forget,” Dr. Perry Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, told CNBC in an interview.

Louisiana

The surging delta variant has hit the Gulf Coast particularly hard, pushing hospitals to their limits. To try to curb the outbreak in Louisiana, officials in July recommended masks indoors for everyone, regardless of whether or not they were vaccinated. They reintroduced a statewide mask mandate on Aug. 2 after it was obvious that wasn’t working and cases kept climbing.

Everyone must now wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status, including all students from kindergarten through college.

Louisiana has the fifth-lowest vaccination rate of any state in the country, with 38.3% of its population fully immunized against the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana reported a record-high seven-day average of more than 5,800 new Covid cases as of Sunday, an increase of nearly 27% from a week ago, according to Hopkins data.

Louisiana recorded a seven-day average of 44 Covid-related deaths as of Sunday, over 46% more than a week prior. Almost half of the state’s 882 reported intensive care unit beds were occupied by coronavirus patients as of Monday, compared with a nationwide average of 25%, according the Department of Health and Human Services.

Mississippi

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, pleaded Friday with residents to get vaccinated as the state scrambles to hire hundreds of temporary doctors, nurses and EMTs.

He’s also requested ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile as the spread of the delta variant fills hospitals in the state with mostly unvaccinated patients. Almost 55% of Mississippi’s ICU beds were filled with Covid patients as of Monday, and the state’s seven-day average of nearly 3,300 new coronavirus cases as of Sunday jumped 57% from a week ago.

“When you look across the country, to a certain extent, this current wave is the pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Reeves said at a press conference. “We continue to see more and more data, and the data is becoming more and more clear. Those who received the vaccine are significantly less likely to contract the virus.”

Mississippi has the nation’s second-lowest coronavirus vaccination rate, with 35.8% of its population fully immunized as of Sunday. The state’s death toll also hit a seven-day average of 20, up almost 80% from a week ago.

Florida

Florida reported a record 151,764 new Covid cases for the week on Friday, reaching a new seven-day average of 21,681 cases per day — more than any other state. More than half of the ICU beds in the state are occupied by Covid patients, according to HHS data.

Florida’s surge in cases comes as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to resist calls from the Biden administration and state advocacy groups to enforce mask mandates and other pandemic-related measures to help contain the massive outbreak. He signed an executive order and law in May that lifted all Covid restrictions across the state and permanently blocked local officials from enacting new ones starting July 1.

In late July, DeSantis issued a controversial executive order that blocked mask mandates in the state’s schools, overruling two counties that required face coverings for their students.

Oregon

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, is deploying up to 1,500 National Guard members to assist the state’s health systems as Covid hospitalizations set a new record three days in a row, standing at 733 on Friday. The state recorded 1,765 new cases on Friday, bringing its seven-day average to 1,652, according to the most recent data available.

The state reimplemented an indoor mask mandate on Friday for everyone, including fully vaccinated people, in response to the surge in hospitalizations.

Hawaii

Though Hawaii’s outbreak is relatively small compared with most mainland states, cases there have repeatedly been reaching new records since mid-July, hitting a seven-day average of 671 new cases per day on Sunday, according to Hopkins data.

That’s a more-than-sevenfold jump from 89 cases per day a month ago. The recent surge in cases has caught health officials by surprise and is starting to strain the state’s hospital systems. The total number of hospitalizations on the islands is 3,030, with 552 deaths recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.

“We are on fire. When we have hospitals that are really worried about being able to take care of people, that’s a crisis,” Hawaii’s health director, Dr. Elizabeth Char, said at a press conference last week. “When we see this exponential growth in the amount of people that are getting infected with Covid-19 every day — 2,000 people in the last three days — that’s a crisis. And at the point at which we overwhelm our resources, that’s a disaster.”

Hospitalization rates in Hawaii and Oregon, however, aren’t as high as other states. Nationwide, less than 11% of all hospital beds are being used by Covid patients. In Oregon, it’s 11.4%, Hawaii is at 12.1%, followed by Louisiana at 20.4%, Mississippi at 18.7% and Florida at 28.2%, according to HHS data.

Hospital bed capacity correlates very closely with vaccination rates. The states with higher vaccination rates are seeing fewer Covid patients take up hospital beds. Oregon has fully vaccinated 56.8% of its residents, followed by Hawaii at 54.3%, Florida at 50.3%, Louisiana at 38.3% and Mississippi at 35.8%.

“That is why Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi are hurting with bed capacity and ascending death rates, while Oregon and Hawaii are hurting with explosive case rates, but with high vaccination and masking rates, may not ever be in the same precarious position,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at University of California in San Francisco.

As of Sunday, the national seven-day average of new cases stands at 130,710, an increase of 20% from the previous seven-day average, according to Hopkins data. The seven-day average for Covid deaths nationwide rose to 687, up 36% from the previous average.

“We know what the tools are, and now this comes down to policy and political decisionmakers’ value judgment to determine which tools they want to implement,” Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at University of Toronto, told CNBC.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the correct percentages of fully vaccinated people in Oregon, Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.

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Mississippi and Louisiana have a number of the worst vaccine charges and highest Covid hospitalizations in U.S.

Mississippi health officials plead with elderly to avoid mass indoor gatherings as delta Covid variant rips through state

Covid cases are doubling across several states and hospitals are starting to fill up again, especially in states with lower vaccination rates as the highly contagious delta variant rips across the country.

Two of the states hit hardest last week — Mississippi and Louisiana and — have the nation’s worst and fourth-worst vaccination rates and rapidly climbing Covid hospitalizations.

Louisiana Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter, said Friday the state was in the middle of “a very dangerous surge.” Gov. John Bel Edwards said the outbreak there was so bad, the White House designated Louisiana as a “state of concern.” He and Kanter urged everyone, including fully vaccinated people, to wear masks indoors and work from home when possible.

“To ensure their own safety people in Louisiana should take precautions immediately. Masking and testing will limit death and suffering until we make it through this,” he said in a press release. New Orleans officials issued a citywide indoor mask advisory earlier in the week.

The surge in average new cases, which have jumped by more than 105% over the past week to a seven-day average of 7,592, has some Louisiana residents rushing to get vaccinated, state officials said. Just 41.2% of the state’s residents have had at least one Covid shot, according to CDC data, but many are rushing to get them as evidence mounts that the delta variant is attacking mostly unvaccinated people, state officials said. More than 58,000 Louisianans received their first vaccine doses last week, a 153% increase from the previous week, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Medical workers with Delta Health Center wait to vaccinate people at a pop-up Covid-19 vaccination clinic in this rural Delta community on April 27, 2021 in Hollandale, Mississippi.

Spencer Platt | Getty Images

Neighboring Mississippi also saw vaccinations jump last week as average daily cases climbed by more than 132% a seven-day average of 910 new cases per day as of Sunday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The state’s administered at least one shot to just 38.6% of its population — ranking it last in the country.

In Mississippi, the state’s given almost 27,000 first doses administered over the seven days through Sunday, 42% more than the prior week.

“Y’all, we’re going to have a rough few weeks,” State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state’s former top epidemiologist, told reporters at a press conference last week. “Delta is hitting us very strongly. We anticipate that we’re going to continue to put additional pressure on the healthcare system.”

Across the nation, roughly 73% of available hospital beds are currently in use, about 4.5% are taken up by Covid patients, according to CDC data. But they account for a greater share of available ICU beds, comprising about 11.9% of all intensive care patients.

In Louisiana, Covid patients are using 8.4% of all available beds and about 16.8% of ICU beds, according to the CDC. Covid patients in Mississippi are taking up 7.2% of all hospital beds and 23% of ICU beds.

Dobbs said there are currently 13 hospitals across Mississippi that have “zero ICU beds and a significantly higher number than that have less than 10% availability.” He said 93% of the state’s Covid cases and 89% of the deaths in the past month are among unvaccinated individuals.

Vaccination rates there are also climbing. The the state administered almost 27,000 first doses over the seven days through Sunday, a 42% jump from the prior week. Vaccine reluctance is high across the state, officials said, adding that they are trying to convince residents one person at a time to get the shots. State officials pleaded with elderly and vulnerable residents earlier this month to avoid large indoor events.

“We hear it all, from the microchip insertion to the depopulation plan using the vaccine to the magnetizing people. I mean you name it, we’ve heard it,” state health department Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dan Edney told reporters last week.

Hospitals, in the meantime, are keeping a close watch on their ventilator supplies.

“Our number of cases is increasing rapidly,” Dobbs said. “Our ICU utilization is starting to rise to levels not seen since last summer, and we’re also seeing an increase in the utilization of our mechanical ventilators.”

CNBC’s Nate Rattner contributed to this reporting.

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Hospitalizations rising once more as delta variant spreads among the many unvaccinated, medical doctors say

A mobile Covid-19 vaccination center outside Bolton City Hall in Bolton, where the number of cases of the Delta variant identified for the first time in India was relatively high.

A mobile Covid-19 vaccination center outside Bolton City Hall in Bolton, where the number of cases of the Delta variant identified for the first time in India was relatively high.

Peter Byrne | PA pictures | Getty Images

Top infectious disease specialists say the spread of the Delta variant over unvaccinated parts of the country is causing flares and spikes in hospital admissions as cases rise.

The number of cases is on the rise again nationwide, as the highly transferable variant prevails as the dominant burden in the USA.The seven-day average of the newly confirmed Covid cases has risen to around 23,300 per day, almost twice as high as the average a week ago . according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Health officials and doctors have hoped that high vaccination rates among the most vulnerable and oldest Americans would also prevent hospitalizations, which are generally delayed by a few weeks. But that hasn’t happened before, doctors said in a call hosted Tuesday by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

“Hospital admissions and ICU deaths are all lagging behind (new cases), so we expect these to get worse, much worse, over the next two to three weeks,” Dr. Andrew T. Pavia, director of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Utah School of Medicine, said on the call.

Hospital stays are on the rise again as the Delta variant spreads among the unvaccinated, doctors say doctors

After several weeks of declining infections, cases are rising again in many parts of the country, said Dr. Jay Butler, associate director of infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the conference call. “Unfortunately, this has also been accompanied by an increase in hospital admissions and emergency room reviews for people who have ultimately been confirmed to have Covid-19,” he said.

Since the Delta variant is spreading in the US, it hits states with low vaccination rates particularly hard. First discovered in India in October, the variant quickly spreads to more than 100 countries around the world and has established itself as the dominant variety in America in just a few weeks.

“When the Delta strain emerged, it quickly became the dominant strain … For the last full week of data, more than 80% of the viruses sequenced were Delta viruses, and this week 92% of all variants” (in Utah) said Pavia. “When you think about what it means for a virus to spread so quickly, it means that it is the most suitable virus that spreads more efficiently, that it spreads in unvaccinated pockets, causing a lot of disease and a lot of stress . “

In Missouri, Arkansas, Nevada, Utah, and Florida, cases have risen faster than any other state in the past few weeks. New infections and hospital admissions are highest in rural areas, where vaccination rates are low, Pavia said. “That’s what drives outbreak vulnerability.”

In Utah, infection rates are highest among young people ages 15 to 45, and hospital admissions are similarly higher in these younger age groups than they were earlier in the pandemic, he said.

About 80% of Americans over 65, the most vulnerable population group, are fully vaccinated, which helps reduce hospital costs. Scientists have yet to figure out whether or not the Delta variant makes people sicker than the original ancestral tribe.

US health officials and doctors still disagree on whether or not a booster vaccination will be required in the fall or winter.

“We don’t see any evidence at this point that people who were vaccinated last December or January have declining immunity and are at greater risk of breakthrough infections,” said Butler, of the CDC.

Based on statements made by World Health Organization officials Monday, Butler also said that breakthrough cases are often milder and that vaccines are extremely effective at reducing hospital stays and deaths.

“There’s even evidence that people with breakthrough infections who are fully immunized shed fewer viruses … this may reduce the risk of spreading it to others,” Butler said.

The WHO recently recommended that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people continue to wear masks and practice social distancing, citing the reduced effectiveness of the vaccine against the Delta variant and increased social mixing in countries with different vaccination rates.

“Everyone wants this to be over, and a lot of the behavior that I think is driving the spread of infection is people wanting it to be over, and pretending it’s over, and even really give up the more humble precautions like wearing masks. ” said Pavia.

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Almost all deaths, hospitalizations amongst unvaccinated

Nearly all deaths, hospitalizations among unvaccinated

Jeff Zients, the White House Covid-19 Response Czar, speaks during a press conference at the White House discussing a pause in the delivery of the Johnson & Johnson Janssen Covid-19 vaccine on April 13, 2021 in Washington, DC, languages.

Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images

As more and more people in the United States are being vaccinated against Covid-19, the vast majority of hospital admissions and deaths occur in people who have not yet received a Covid vaccination, White House officials said Thursday.

“Virtually all Covid-19 hospital admissions and deaths in the United States now occur in unvaccinated people,” Jeff Zients, White House coordinator of the coronavirus response, said at a news conference. He said the cases will continue to increase, especially in unvaccinated people, especially as the Delta variant hits the US

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Covid vaccines currently in use are proving successful in preventing serious illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths from the Delta variant.

Cases are still rising: the seven-day moving average of new cases rose to 13,900 per day, an 11% increase from the previous week, Walensky said.

However, recent data shows that “the vaccines are actually effective against the Delta variant,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Officer of the White House, in the meeting.

“The bottom line is that there is simply no reason that people 12 years and older should be seriously affected by this virus,” said Zients.

Federal officials are increasingly seeing outbreaks in communities with low vaccination rates, they said.

Walensky said the Delta variant now accounts for about 80% of all new cases in parts of the Midwest and upper mountain states, according to early CDC data.

“This rapid increase is worrying. We know that the Delta variant has increased the portability and is currently appearing in the country’s pockets with low vaccination rates,” said Walensky at the briefing.

The remarks came as President Joe Biden’s Covid team focused on the portion of the population that had not yet been vaccinated.

Millions of people in the US remain unvaccinated, “and because of this, their communities are at risk, their friends are at risk, the people they care about are at risk,” Biden said Tuesday. He said the government is focusing more on increasing vaccination availability in places like doctor’s offices and workplaces while expanding door-to-door contact efforts.

The Delta variant, first discovered in India, has now spread to more than 100 countries, including the USA, according to the World Health Organization.

The highly transferable variant is expected to have global effects for the foreseeable future, scientists predict.

The Olympic organizers announced on Thursday that they would be banning all spectators from the Games this year in Japan, which has just declared a new Covid-related state of emergency in Tokyo, partly due to the Delta variant.

Almost 158 ​​million people in the US are fully vaccinated – about 48% of the population, according to CDC data. Just over 67% of Americans 18 and older have received at least one dose.

– CNBC’s Berkeley Lovelace Jr. contributed to this report.

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C.D.C. Says Little one Covid Hospitalizations Are Uncommon, however Extra Frequent Than Flu

C.D.C. Says Child Covid Hospitalizations Are Rare, but More Frequent Than Flu

According to a study published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of Covid-19-related hospitalizations among teenagers in the United States over the past three flu seasons has been about three times higher than influenza-related hospitalizations.

The results contradict claims that influenza is more threatening to children than Covid-19, an argument used to reopen schools and question the value of vaccinating adolescents against the coronavirus.

“Much of this suffering can be prevented,” said CDC director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, in a statement. “Vaccination is our way out of this pandemic.”

Children are at a much lower overall risk of Covid-19 compared to adults, but it is believed that their likelihood of infection and serious illness increases with age. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the hospitalization rate for children ages 12-17 has been 12.5 times lower than that of adults. However, according to the new report, the rate was higher than in children ages 5-11.

The researchers counted Covid-19 hospital stays in children aged 12 to 17 from March 1, 2020 to April 24, 2021. The data came from Covid-Net, a population-based surveillance system in 14 states that covers about 10 percent of Americans.

The number of adolescents hospitalized for Covid-19 decreased in January and February of this year, but rose again in March and April. Between January 1, 2021 and March 31, 2021, 204 teenagers were likely hospitalized mainly for Covid-19. Most children had at least one underlying medical condition, such as obesity, asthma, or a neurological disorder.

None of the children died, but about a third were admitted to intensive care and 5 percent required invasive mechanical ventilation. About two-thirds of adolescents admitted to the hospital were Black or Hispanic American, reflecting the greater risk the virus poses to these populations.

The researchers compared the numbers for Covid-19 to hospital admissions for flu in the same age group during the 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20 flu seasons. From October 1, 2020 to April 24, 2021, adolescent hospital admission rates for Covid-19 were 2.5 to 3.0 times higher than for seasonal flu in previous years.

The rate could have increased this spring due to the more contagious variants of the coronavirus floating around, as well as the reopening of schools that brought children together indoors and looser adherence to precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, the researchers said .

The data adds urgency to the drive to get more teenagers vaccinated, said Dr. Walensky, who added that she was “deeply concerned” with the numbers.

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Rise in adolescent Covid hospitalizations is reflection of latest variants, Gottlieb says

Rise in adolescent Covid hospitalizations is reflection of new variants, Gottlieb says

Dr. Scott Gottlieb pointed on Friday to the highly transmissible Covid-19 variants as a potential cause behind an increase in adolescents being hospitalized with the virus in March and April. 

“It’s concerning, the trends on hospitalizations” among teenagers, said Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration chief during the Trump administration. “I think it’s a reflection of the new, more contagious variants.”

“We are seeing that these variants are more contagious across all age groups, so they’re affecting adults more, but they’re also affecting kids more, so you’re seeing more kids contract symptomatic Covid and more kids get hospitalized, as a consequence of that, particularly B. 117,” Gottlieb told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith.”  

The B. 117 variant is currently the most prevalent strain in the U.S., with 20,915 reported cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the first three months of the year, CDC researchers found that nearly one-third of adolescents hospitalized with Covid required admission into an intensive care unit. Meanwhile, 5% needed invasive mechanical ventilation. To be sure, CDC data shows no teenagers in the U.S. died of Covid in the first quarter of 2021.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky on Friday urged parents to vaccinate their teenagers against Covid, citing more teenagers being hospitalized with Covid.

Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic testing start-up Tempus, health-care tech company Aetion Inc. and biotech company Illumina.

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Covid circumstances are rising, hospitalizations have plateaued whilst vaccinations rise

Covid cases are rising, hospitalizations have plateaued even as vaccinations rise

Paramedic Lenny Fernandez, medical assistant Rodnay Moore, and paramedic certified Calvin Davis (left to right) prepare doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine as the City of Vernon Health Department workers open the new clinic for the city’s mobile health unit for delivery Vaccinations used by COVID-19 against nearly 250 food processing workers at Rose & Shore, Inc. March 17, 2021 in Vernon, CA.

Al Seib | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

Covid-19 cases are on the rise and hospital admissions in the US have increased despite the country setting a new record for coronavirus vaccine doses given in one day on Saturday.

The US had a 7-day average of 61,359 new Covid-19 cases per day on Friday, a 12% increase from last week. This comes from a CNBC analysis of the data from Johns Hopkins University.

Coronavirus daily hospital admissions steadily decreased from January to February, but now hospital admissions are on the decline. The country recorded an average of 7,790 Covid-19 hospitalizations in seven days on Thursday, up 2.6% from a week earlier. This is based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I remain deeply concerned about this development,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a press conference at the White House on Friday. “We have seen cases and hospital admissions that have gone from historical declines to stagnations and increases. We know from previous waves that the epidemic curve has real potential to rise again if we don’t control things now.”

Europe battles third wave of Covid infections as countries like France, Poland and Ukraine reintroduce lockdowns to contain the spread of viruses.

The rising cases and stagnant hospital stays occur as more and more Americans are vaccinated. More than 3.4 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were given on Saturday, according to the CDC. Saturday’s total broke the previous record for the most Covid-19 vaccine shots given on a day set on Friday, with 3.37 million doses reported.

The rate of vaccination is increasing rapidly with an average of seven days on Saturday of more than 2.6 million daily shots. More than 140 million Covid vaccine doses have been administered in the US since Saturday, according to the CDC.

President Joe Biden set a new goal Thursday of administering 200 million coronavirus vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office.

The urge for increased vaccinations comes from the fact that on March 19, the chief physician of the White House of the USA, Dr. Anthony Fauci, highly infectious and potentially more deadly variants of the virus continue to spread. The coronavirus variant first identified in the UK probably makes up 30% of vaccinations from Covid infections in the US

New strains are of particular concern to public health officials as they could become more resistant to antibody treatments and vaccines. Still, the World Health Organization said in February that Covid-19 vaccines had been shown to be effective in preventing serious illnesses and deaths among those infected.

Covid-related deaths in the US have decreased. According to a CNBC analysis of the Johns Hopkins data, the US recorded a seven-day average on Friday with 992 new coronavirus-related deaths per day, a 14% decrease from the previous week.

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CDC director warns strains may reverse drop in circumstances, hospitalizations

CDC director warns strains could reverse drop in cases, hospitalizations

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

New, highly contagious variants of the coronavirus pose a “threat” to the United States and could reverse the recent decline in Covid-19 cases and hospital stays, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Monday.

The US reported a 7-day average of 119,900 new Covid-19 cases per day last week, a decrease of nearly 20% from the previous week but is still “dramatically higher” than the summer peak, CDC said -Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told reporters during a White House press conference about Covid-19.

The nation also reported an average of 9,977 Covid-19 hospital stays per day last week, a decrease of at least 17% from the previous week, she said.

“The continued proliferation of variants remains a major problem and threat that could reverse the recent positive trends we are seeing,” said Walensky. “Please keep wearing a mask and stay 6 feet away from people you do not live with. Avoid travel, crowds, poorly ventilated rooms, and get vaccinated if you can,” she added.

U.S. health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have raised concerns about the Covid mutations that may be beyond the protection of the vaccines currently on the market. Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax have previously said that their vaccines may be less effective against B.1.351, the highly contagious strain in South Africa.

On Sunday, South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said the country would stop using AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 in its vaccination program after data showed it offered minimal protection against B.1.351, the nascent strain there. He said the government would wait for advice from scientists on how best to proceed after disappointing results from a trial conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand.

As of Sunday, the CDC had identified 690 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which were first identified in the UK, Walensky told reporters on Monday. The agency has identified six cases of the South African tribe as well as three cases of P.1, a variant first identified in travelers from Brazil.

Walensky said public health officials are working to find more cases of these variants, adding that federal and state officials have increased genome sequencing 10-fold in the past three weeks. “We expect to find more cases in the coming weeks,” she added.

The U.S. is always working to find out exactly how contagious and deadly the new strains are, said Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last month that early data suggests the strain on the country could be more deadly. Fauci said Monday that there is currently no data to suggest the virus is mutating into a “less virulent” strain, meaning less harmful than the original virus.

The UK data “has yet to be confirmed,” added Fauci. “So far, however, there is no evidence that it is less virulent. Sometimes when viruses mutate in order to spread more efficiently they become less virulent, but we have no data to suggest that this actually happens.”

Meanwhile, Fauci has been pushing for people to be vaccinated as soon as possible, saying last week that the virus cannot mutate unless it can infect hosts and replicate.