Story at a glance
- Coronavirus cases in the U.S. are currently fluctuating between 50,000 and 60,000 per day as states are easing restrictions and more Americans are starting to travel.
- Public health officials are urging Americans not to let their guard down.
- “Cases climbed last spring. They climbed again in the summer. They will climb now if we stop taking precautions when we continue to get more and more people vaccinated,” Walensky said.
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning the U.S. could experience another coronavirus spike as states ease restrictions and more Americans travel for spring break.
Coronavirus cases in the U.S. are currently fluctuating between 50,000 and 60,000 per day, with the most recent seven-day average at around 52,500 new cases each day. Hospitalizations have declined to just more than 4,700 per day while the latest seven-day average of COVID-19 deaths was more than 1,200 deaths per day.
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The decline comes as the U.S. last week surpassed 100 million vaccine doses administered, a key milestone that indicates the nation’s vaccination campaign is rapidly accelerating.
But while the country has come a long way since the holiday spike this winter, health officials are asking the public to remain vigilant in adhering to guidance to slow the spread of the virus.
“With the coming warmer weather, I know it’s tempting to want to relax and to let our guard down, particularly after a hard winter that sadly saw the highest level of cases and deaths during the pandemic so far,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said during a news briefing Monday.
“I’m pleading with you, for the sake of our nation’s health. These should be warning signs for all of us. Cases climbed last spring. They climbed again in the summer. They will climb now if we stop taking precautions when we continue to get more and more people vaccinated,” Walensky said.
She also referenced reports of people “enjoying spring break festivities maskless,” as the U.S. records more than 50,000 new cases each day.
Walensky noted that Transportation Security Administration officers screened more than 1.3 million people at airport security checkpoints Friday, the highest figure since last March before the World Health Organization declared the pandemic. The CDC is still advising against nonessential travel, even for people who have been fully vaccinated.
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