It’s Not Over
You want it to be over. I want it to be over. We all want it to be over, but it’s not. Cases in the United States are up, hospitalizations are up, variants are up, and vaccinations and testing are down. According to The New York Times COVID-19 tracker, the 14-day change in new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is an increase of 94%. Hospitalizations are up 16% during this period. Furthermore, testing is down 14%, which means that new cases may be underreported. Deaths are down 12%. Hot spots in the country include Arkansas, where new cases are up 124%, Alabama, with a 172% increase, and Tennessee, with a 404% increase. What do these states have in common? Less than 40% of their residents are fully vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last week that the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant, first identified in India, now makes up more than 50% of new COVID-19 cases in the United States. The rapid rise in the Delta variant across the country is “concerning and threatens the progress the United States has made toward ending the pandemic,” according to the CDC.
So what is causing the increase in cases? According to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, it is the Delta variant combined with low vaccination rates in some states and counties. Walensky said that the more COVID-19 cases there are, the greater chance there is for new variants to emerge, which could result in more death and suffering.
While over 159 million Americans are fully vaccinated, if that number does not increase dramatically, it looks like the Delta variant, and whatever new variants emerge, is going to prolong this pandemic for the foreseeable future. Also, masks have virtually disappeared from people’s faces in the United States and social distancing has been thrown out the window with packed ballparks and concerts, which certainly does not help stem the rise of the Delta variant and COVID-19 cases.
On top of all this, you have an important difference of opinion between COVID-19 vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech and the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the need for vaccine booster shots. Pfizer and BioNTech announced last week that the efficacy of its vaccine in preventing infection and symptomatic disease declines six months after the second dose, while efficacy for preventing serious illness remains high. The announcement pointed to data from the Israeli minister of health that suggests the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against preventing infections, six months post-vaccination, is reduced to 64%. In light of this data, and the fact that the Delta variant is dominant in several countries, the companies believe it is likely “that a third dose may be needed within 6 to 12 months after full vaccination.” Pfizer and BioNTech will request emergency use authorization from the FDA for the booster dose, and they will also develop an updated version of their vaccine based on the Delta variant.
The announcement by Pfizer and BioNTech on the likely need for a booster shot drew an immediate rebuke from the FDA and the CDC. In a joint statement, the federal agencies said, “Americans who have been fully vaccinated do not need a booster shot at this time.” The statement went on to say that a science-based federal process is ongoing to determine whether or when a booster might be needed and that they will not rely exclusively on data from pharmaceutical companies.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor on COVID-19, hit the airways over the weekend, including CNN’s “State of the Union,” to reiterate the position of the FDA and CDC that based on the existing data, people do not currently need a booster shot. Israel, however, is taking a different view on booster shots and has started giving a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to at-risk people. Pfizer representatives met with federal health officials yesterday to brief them on their booster shot data. The position of the FDA and CDC, however, is not expected to change…at least not now.