Fears of ‘impending doom’
Biden, CDC chief plead with people to stay vigilant as virus cases surge
‘Now is not the time to celebrate. … We can and will do this, but don’t let up now. Don’t let up now.’
PRESIDENT BIDEN
President Biden and the CDC director on Monday sounded the alarm on rising coronavirus cases across the country, urging people to not let their guard down and “just hold on a little longer” amid the vaccine rollout.
Virus case counts in the past week spiked by 10% across the country, and cases in Massachusetts have surged by more than 40% since the start of March. More contagious variants have been circulating as states ease restrictions and unvaccinated people gather without wearing masks.
“I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during Monday’s White House COVID19 Response Team press briefing, later adding, “Right now I’m scared.”
As virus cases jump, COVID hospitalizations and deaths are also now starting to rise.
“The war against COVID19 is far from won,” Biden said after a virus briefing Monday. “This is deadly serious.”
“Now is not the time to let down,” he later added. “Now is not the time to celebrate. … We can and will do this, but don’t let up now. Don’t let up now.”
The president told people to “mask up,” social distance, and urged local leaders to reinstate mask mandates if they removed them.
Walensky noted that the virus numbers are increasing as the country rolls out the vaccines “so very fast.”
“I’m asking you to just hold on a little longer, to get vaccinated when you can, so that all of those people that we all love will still be here when this pandemic ends,” Walensky said.
Biden announced that 90% of adults will be eligible for the vax by April 19, and that 90% of adults will have a vax site within 5 miles of where they live.
That’s the same date that every Massachusetts resident older than 16 will qualify to sign up for the vax.
The Bay State last week lifted many indoor restrictions, allowing indoor venues to increase gathering limits. As cases rise across the state, the Massachusetts Public Health Association is calling on Gov. Charlie Baker to cut back indoor capacity limits on restaurants, theaters, museums and other venues.
“Action must be swift if we are to prevent another wave of infections — and the hospitalizations and deaths that will follow,” MPHA Executive Director Carlene Pavlos said in a statement. “Governor Baker has said repeatedly that he is following the science, yet he is now disregarding the most up-to-date guidance from the CDC, which strongly recommends that states keep mitigation measures in place until a greater share of the population is vaccinated.”
A Baker administration spokesperson on Monday noted that 80% of people 75plus have received at least one vax dose, and that hospitalizations have dropped overall. Hospitalizations did start rising in the past week.
“Over two million people have received at least one dose and tomorrow a new large-scale federal mass vaccination site with the capacity to administer up to 7,000 doses per day on its own will open at the Hynes Convention Center,” the spokesperson added. “The administration will continue to monitor public health data, and the state encourages all residents to observe statewide COVID-19 prevention orders and safety guidelines — including a face mask order and industry guidance incorporating distancing and capacity limits — and to get tested if feeling sick.”