This week President Biden welcomed the country s progress in the fight against COVID, saying that new cases diminish and vaccination rates rise.
But despite the recent progress, health officials are warning that the pandemic is far from over, even with Delta variants in retreat, saying Americans should brace for another wave this winter.
In an interview, one may still be needed before we get another surge, Dr. Murtaza Akhter of UAMS-Phoenix Emergency Physician, said Yahoo Finance Live in an interview.
They did last year and they're going to do it again this year, he added.
In the previous summer, I thought we could have overcome this by now. It's crazy that it is still here, Dr. Akhter added. If you look at the numbers in certain states and nationally, we are better than before, but not quite at the level that we were at before the surge we had in the summer. Over the two weeks, the 7 - day average of new daily cases reported has declined by nearly 30% to 86,287, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, the lowest since August 2. And the drop in cases comes as more people get vaccinated.
About 217 million people, or 65% of the total United States population, have received at least one dose, 12 million more than one month ago. While it's a step in the right direction, expert warns that more needs to be done.
In a speech from the White House on Thursday, Biden urged unvaccinated Americans to get the shot, calling the number that remain unvaccinated unacceptably high, while encouraging businesses to implement vaccine mandates.
We have critical work to do and we can t let up now. I m asking that more business to step up. I m calling on more parents to get their children vaccinated when they are eligible, president added.
As the U.S. heads into holiday season, hospitalization rates and deaths remain high. Nearly 2,000 Americans die from virus each day as hospitalizations in some northern states trend upward.
Earlier this month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC deleted a page on its website with resources for holiday gatherings, which included an image of a virtual Thanksgiving. The agency says it is working on an update and new guidelines should be released soon. SeanaN Smith will follow her on Twitter; follow her on Twitter