Top US Health Officials have Warned Americans ‘No Time to let their Guard Down’

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Most of California headed into another lockdown because of the surging outbreak with a COVID-19 vaccine perhaps just days away in the US. Top health officials have also warned Americans that this is no time to let their guard down. Dr. Deborah Birx said, “The vaccine’s critical. But it’s not going to save us from this current surge. Only we can save us from this current surge”. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel is scheduled to take up a request Thursday to authorize the emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine. Vaccinations could begin just days later, however initial supplies will be rationed and shots are not expected to become widely available until the spring. Top government officials warned Americans to wear masks, practice social distancing, and follow other basic measures.

They also said the United States is experiencing what could be a catastrophic winter. Birx also said, “I hear community members parroting back those situations parroting back that masks don’t work, parroting back that we should work towards herd immunity, parroting back that gatherings don’t result in super-spreading events. And I think our job is to constantly say those are myths, they are wrong and you can see the evidence base”. The virus is blamed for over 280,000 deaths and more than 14.6 million confirmed infections in the U.S. The new cases per day have rocketed to an all-time high of more than 190,000 on average. Deaths per day have surged to an average of more than 2,160, a level is last seen during the dark days in April when the outbreak was centered on New York.

The number of Americans now in the hospital with the coronavirus topped 100,000, for the first time over the past few days. The first place to enact a statewide lockdown last spring, in California, and the new stay-at-home orders were set to take effect on Sunday night in Southern California much of the San Francisco Bay area, and other areas. Governor Gavin Newsom said he hopes the new lockdown order is the last one he has to issue, declaring the vaccine offers light at the end of the tunnel. They could offer long-lasting protection against COVID-19, once vaccines are offered widely. The head of the U.S vaccine development effort Dr. Moncef Slaoui also informed CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ that only time will tell for certain but that the vaccine’s effectiveness could last for many, many years.