The US reaches yet another tragic milestone in its fight against the coronavirus. According to reports, 1 in every 500 residents in the US died due to the virus. Read get your latest updates on COVID-19 in the US.
COVID-19 in the US: Another tragic milestone
According to the data published by Johns Hopkins University shows that as of Tuesday, 663,913 residents of the US have died due to coronavirus. The positive and death tolls are sobering as hospitals in America are struggling to keep up with treating patients. As more and more people catch the virus, governments are implementing mask and vaccine mandates. The case numbers, death rates, and hospitalizations have risen after the summer. This is mainly due to the dominance and surge of the delta variant.
The US now averages over 123,300 new cases every day since last week. This number is thirteen times higher than June 22, when the virus transmission was at its lowest. Additionally, the country averaged about 1805 new COVID-19 related deaths for over a week. The death rates are also significantly high compared to the 218 deaths seen on July 5.
How can people in the US escape grave danger?
According to health experts, masking up and getting vaccinated is the best way to protect oneself from the virus. As of now, merely 54 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Additionally, the rate of people getting vaccination is dropping according to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts are hailing vaccination as the best way to get protected against the virus. After all, the majority of the deaths are hospitalizations are among unvaccinated people. For example, 97 percent of COVID-19 related deaths in Pennsylvania between January 1 and September 7 were among unvaccinated.
CDC recommends fully vaccinated people to wear marks when indoors in an area with high community transmission of the virus. Ohio’s children’s hospitals are receiving an overwhelming number of patients with severe covid-19. Governor Mike DeWine is requesting schools to issue a mask mandate. “Reasonable people may disagree about a lot. But we can all agree that we must keep our children in the classroom. So they don’t fall behind. And, their parents can go to work and not take time off to watch their kids at home,” said DeWine. “The combination of masks and vaccinations is the way to keep children in school. If you surround the kids with vaccinated people and you have everybody wear a mask. You can get a situation where the children will be relatively safe in school,” said Dr. Anthonni Fauci.
Resistance against vaccine mandates in the US
Officials and experts are promoting vaccine mandates to manage the transmission of the virus. However, they have been facing resistance on the matter. New York issued an order needing all health care workers to receive COVID-19 vaccination by September 27. However, the Baptist and Catholic medical professionals filed a federal objection to stop the state from implementing it since they oppose the vaccine for religious purposes.
Moreover, a federal judge issued a temporary suspension on enforcing the vaccine if workers claim exemption on religious grounds. “Governor Hochul is doing everything in her power to protect New Yorkers. And combat the Delta variant by increasing vaccine rates across the State,” said Hazel Crampton-Hays, the Governor’s press secretary.
Similarly, despite a Los Angeles mandate that all city employees must get the vaccine, it is not successful. About 25 percent of the police force is seeking an exception. However, unvaccinated employees must undergo weekly testing and show a negative for the virus if they are working regularly. Additionally, workers in Nevada who serve ‘vulnerable populations’ need to show vaccination proof according to the recent regulation.