■ Authorities fear maskless Super Bowl celebrants could fuel new outbreaks.
Authorities fear spread after Super Bowl events
The drive to vaccinate Americans against the coronavirus is gaining speed and newly recorded cases have fallen to their lowest level in three months, but authorities worry that raucous Super Bowl celebrations could fuel new outbreaks.
More than 4 million more vaccinations were reported over the weekend, a significantly faster clip than in previous days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nearly 1 in 10 Americans have now received at least one shot. But just 2.9 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, a long way from the 70 percent or more that experts say must be inoculated to conquer the outbreak.
Newly confirmed infections have declined to an average of 117,000 a day, the lowest point since early November. That is a steep drop from the peak of nearly 250,000 a day in early January.
The number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 has also fallen sharply, to about 81,000, down from more than 130,000 last month.
Health officials say the decline in hospitalizations and new cases most likely reflects an easing of the surge that was fueled by holiday gatherings, and perhaps better adherence to safety precautions.
The drop-off in new cases comes as fewer tests for the virus are being reported. But experts say the decline is more pronounced than the apparent slowdown in testing, and it is accompanied by other encouraging signs.
“We are seeing a real decline because it’s been sustained over time and it’s correlated with decreasing hospitalizations,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University.
The question, he said, is whether the lower numbers can be sustained as new variants of the virus take hold in the United States. President Joe Biden has announced plans to spend billions to increase rapid testing by the summer.
COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are still running at close to all-time highs, at an average of about 3,160 per day, down about 200 since mid-january. The death toll overall has eclipsed 460,000.
Federal officials are warning states not to relax restrictions.
“We have yet to control this pandemic,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the CDC, said Monday.
■ A judge in Michigan has dismissed disorderly conduct charges against six hair stylists who were ticketed last spring during a protest at the state Capitol. The women were cutting hair to protest Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to keep barber shops and salons closed for nearly three months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
■ Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “virtually toured” a federally supported mass-vaccination site Monday in Glendale, Arizona. The drive-thru 24-hour facility at the State Farm Stadium is giving one COVID-19 shot about every 10 seconds.
■ Dozens of Washington state hospitals have learned N95 respirator masks believed to be purchased from 3M Company are counterfeits that were not manufactured by the company. The Seattle Times reported the Washington State Hospital Association alerted the state’s hospitals about a notification from 3M that some masks were knockoffs.