Thanks to a combination of social distancing guidelines and a vaccination rollout effort, the US is finally seeing coronavirus cases slow down. On Sunday, the US reported less than 100,000 new cases, lower than they’ve been since November. While this is good news, there is one problem lingering in the back of health officials’ minds: the UK variant of the virus.
Officially called B117, the UK variant is thought to be more contagious, though likely not more deadly, than the standard variant of the virus. Even as health experts are forecasting that the number of cases and deaths will steadily fall as the vaccine effort gets up to speed, B117 could cause another spike in cases of measures aren’t taken to contain it.
Variants Have Doctors Worried
Doctors are concerned that variants like B117 could be more resistant to the vaccines that are only just now beginning to reach a good portion of the population. For many, it is extremely frustrating to think that the pandemic could be close to an end were it not for the last-minute arrival of new variants of the virus. While there is good news, it is tempered by expectations from officials that things could get worse again quickly.
The US has recently seen a 20% drop in new cases, owing largely to the vaccine effort. Moreover, there has been a 17% drop in hospitalizations, which naturally follows any drop in new cases. That being said, officials are urging people to keep up social distancing, mask-wearing, handwashing and other preventative measures. Now is not the time to let your guard down, they warn, with the US so close to getting things under control.
US Struggles With the Basics
Frustrating the effort to stop the pandemic is the US’s ongoing struggle to even hit the basics of stopping the virus. In many regions of the US, the virus continues to spread unchecked due to some people’s resistance to wearing masks and refusing to keep six feet away from others. Especially in more rural areas, it is very common to see unmasked people in stores and restaurants, worrying health officials.
Another issue plagues rural communities and threatens to drag out the pandemic there: mistrust of the vaccine. Data suggests that both minority populations and rural residents are adopting the vaccine at a much lower rate than their urban counterparts. Mistrust for vaccines has been instilled through a variety of misinformation campaigns, including those shared on social media.
While this remains a difficult hurdle, health officials hope compassionate outreach can help get the number of vaccinated citizens higher so that this pandemic can finally be put behind us.
