The number of people hospitalized with Covid-19 has doubled since early May as the transmissible omicron BA.5 subvariant causes another wave of infections.
The officials said that deaths from Covid are relatively low. The availability of vaccines and the use of Paxlovid has led to a decrease in the number of deaths from the virus.
The tools we have are still working. Most Covid-19 deaths are preventable and we are at a point in the Pandemic where that is the case. He said that the number of deaths is unacceptably high because the U.S. has vaccines and treatments.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,600 patients were hospitalized with Covid over the weekend. According to the CDC, an average of more than 5,000 people have been admitted to the hospital with Covid every day compared with an average of more than 2,000 daily admissions.
As of Sunday, the U.S. has reported an average of 104,000 Covid infections per day, which is double the number reported at the beginning of May. Many people use at- home tests that aren't reflected in the data, so the reported infections are clearly an undercount, according to the White House chief medical advisor. Fauci said there could be between 300,000 and 500,000 infections a day.
According to the CDC, the number of deaths from the virus has remained relatively low. The number of people dying from Covid at the height of the winter omicron wave was over 3000 a day.
The ratio of hospitalization and death to cases is lower now than it was in the past.
80% of Covid infections in the U.S. are made up of the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. Fauci said that the shots are still protecting against severe disease despite the fact that BA.5 is more transmissible than previous versions. People who are fully vaccined are unlikely to be hospitalized and even more unlikely to die from Covid.
Fauci said that BA.5 doesn't appear to have a high risk of severe disease. Some people will end up in the hospital due to the increased transmissibility.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said that people who caught the previous omicron variant, BA.1 and BA.2, are likely still at risk of infections from BA. 4 and 5. Depending on how much immunity communities have from vaccinations, the current omicron wave will likely play out differently around the country.
People over the age of 50 should get their fourth shot, according to Jha. He said that people who test positive should talk to their health-care provider about getting Paxlovid. People with weak immune systems should consider getting tested for Covid before going to any large indoor events.
The Food and Drug Administration and the CDC are in charge of determining if the broader population should be eligible for a second shot. Ahead of a possible fall booster campaign, the FDA told vaccine makers to change the formula in their shots to target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
The U.S. health officials are worried that the country will see a surge in infections this fall as people spend more time indoors to escape the cold. The US has ordered 105 million doses of the updated vaccine from Pfizer. He said that the U.S. is in talks with other companies.
If Congress does not approve more funding for the response to the H1N1 virus, the U.S. may have to ration vaccines to people who are at the highest risk of contracting the disease.
Republican opposition to the White House's original $22.50 billion price tag has slowed down negotiations over a Covid funding package. The Senate struck a bipartisan deal for $10 billion to buy vaccines and treatments, but that package has stopped as GOP lawmakers and some Democrats demand the Biden administration re-implement a public health law that deported asylum seekers and other migrants trying to cross the U.S.- Mexico border.
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