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Last Thursday, American families celebrated Thanksgiving. At least 1.1 million people are estimated to have flown that day. Experts point out that this could lead to an increase in infections in the coming weeks.
The United States is expected to prepare for a sharp rise in the COVID-19 contagion curve following the Thanksgiving holiday, which led to the relocation of millions of people across the country, several experts warn.
As the most pandemic-affected country on the planet, the United States has 266,074 deaths from COVID-19 and President Donald Trump’s government has issued contradictory messages about wearing masks, travel risk and whether the outbreak is under control or no.
On Thursday, families celebrated Thanksgiving, causing at least 1.1 million people to be mobilized by air the day before, a record since the country’s pandemic began in March, according to data from the TSA agency. , in charge of security checks at airports.
“In two to three weeks, we could see a new outbreak in addition to the current epidemic” of new coronavirus infections, immunologist Anthony Fauci, director of the government’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned on ABC channel.
Health Undersecretary Brett Giroir agrees with Fauci’s warning, at a time when the Christmas holidays are approaching with more travel and family reunions.
Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said she was “deeply concerned” that her country is “entering this post-Thanksgiving wave” in CBS’s “Face the Nation” program.
And US surgeon general Jerome Adams was equally blunt: “I want to be honest with the American people. (The situation) will get worse in the coming weeks, “he told the Fox News Sunday program.
Eager for the vaccine
Across the Atlantic, thousands of health workers marched in Madrid in support of the Spanish public health system, one of the European countries most affected by the pandemic.
And in Sri Lanka, guards opened fire to quell a prison riot, where four inmates died while protesting a wave of coronavirus infections.
In France, the highest administrative court ordered the government to relax the rules that allowed no more than 30 people in places of worship after angry objections from religious leaders.
According to Chinese media, some 9,000 runners, some with face masks, participated in the Shanghai International Marathon, a rare mass-participation sporting event.
The press reported Sunday that the first shipments of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine, one of the first labs to ensure high efficacy, along with Moderna, had arrived in the United States from a corporate lab in Belgium.
Pfizer intends to conduct a rapid distribution of its vaccine once it receives US approval, scheduled for December 10, the Wall Street Journal and other outlets reported.
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which claim to be around 95% effective, have introduced a much-needed ray of hope after months of sad news.
“This is how we will defeat the pandemic. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel, “Giroir, the US official who oversees the coronavirus tests, told CNN.
But like Fauci and the other scientists, he expressed serious concerns for the months immediately to come.
“About 20 percent of people currently hospitalized have covid, so this is a really dangerous time,” he said.
Europe is struggling to reopen
Until large numbers of Americans have been vaccinated (Giroir said half of the eligible population may be eligible in March), much will depend on taking precautions, including wearing masks and distances, he said, agreeing. with Fauci.
Giroir said it may take until the second or third quarter of next year for most Americans to vaccinate, but stressed that the substantial benefits will accrue much sooner.
By vaccinating those most at risk first, he said, “we can get 80% of the benefit from the vaccine by immunizing only a small percentage of the population.”
Adams also communicated a cautious optimism: “The vaccination of the most vulnerable is a few weeks away and we can significantly protect those at risk of contracting this virus. We will have to wait a little longer “.
The novel coronavirus has killed at least 1,453,074 people worldwide since the first outbreak emerged in China last December, according to an official source tally compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Sunday.
Europe broke the barrier of 400,000 deaths on Saturday, reaching 400,649.
Germany, once a beacon of hope in Europe’s coronavirus nightmare, hit more than a million cases on Friday, but Belgium and Ireland announced an easing of restrictions.
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