COVID-19's fourth wave is hitting the US hard

A fourth wave of coronavirus infections is spreading throughout the world, causing health experts and officials to warn pandemic-weary Americans to remain vigilant.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States has reported an average of 65,000 new cases in the last seven days, up around 10,000 cases a day since the most recent nadir two weeks ago.

Those numbers are much smaller than the height of the third wave of infections in January, when a quarter-million people tested positive for the virus every day.

However, despite the fact that millions of Americans are getting vaccines, progress toward herd immunity has not kept up with the latest surge. Cases are on the rise in nearly half of the states, with significant increases in New York, especially New York City, Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

“We have a long way to go. COVID-19's fight is far from over. President Biden said Monday at the White House that the situation is "deadly serious," hours after CDC Director Rochelle Walensky pleaded with the public to continue mitigating measures. “We could see a virus getting worse, not better, if we let our guard down now.”

The emergence of variants of the coronavirus, most notably a more easily transmissible and virulent strain known as B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, is said to be driving the current increase, according to scientists. According to the CDC, this strain is responsible for 13% of new cases in Florida and 9% of new cases in New Jersey.

However, as tired Americans engage in more non-essential practices, the number of cases is growing. States have eased limits, in some cases completely eliminating them, and some have dropped or intend to remove mask mandates.

“There is more crowding indoors. When I walk down the street in Boston, I see indoor crowding in restaurants and stores,” said Abraar Karan, an internal medicine specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “We knew there would be more social and physical experiences once you reopened.”

The vaccine campaign stands out as a bright spot after a year of mistakes and missteps in dealing with the pandemic.

According to CDC reports, the number of Americans who have received a coronavirus vaccine is increasing by more than 2 million every day. Except for Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Chile, and the United Kingdom, the United States vaccinates a greater proportion of its population than any other country.

California has given out more than 17 million doses, while Texas has given out more than 11 million. In smaller states including New Mexico, Connecticut, South Dakota, Alaska, and Maine, more than a third of people have received at least one dose.

The elderly, who got top priority when early rounds of vaccines were carried out during the last few months, have the highest vaccination rates. However, millions of people must be vaccinated before the United States achieves herd immunity.

Celine Gounder, an infectious diseases specialist at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine and a member of the Biden administration's COVID-19 advisory board, said, "It'll be at least another six to eight weeks before we get that kind of coverage." “We're almost there; now isn't the time to quit.”

COVID-19 deaths are being decreased as a result of the high number of older Americans who have been vaccinated, as well as strengthened health care practices. For the first time since November, the virus has killed less than 1,000 people a day in the last week. Around 40,000 Americans are being treated in hospitals, which is less than a third of the total number of patients in January.

“I'm optimistic that if another wave occurs, we'll be able to deal with it more effectively this time. “However, the surge should have been avoided,” Karan said. “Infections that are occurring now will be seen in the next couple of weeks now that the train has started.”

Despite the success, the pandemic, which has claimed the lives of over 550,000 Americans, has left health care staff and experts drained. Amy Arlund, a nurse in the intensive care unit at Kaiser Fresno Medical Center, said her hospital had a time where everybody admitted to the ICU died.

“I had no choice but to avoid counting the corpses. The figures were daunting after 100 people died in my ICU,” Arlund said. “It occurred to me that I would no longer want to do this.” 

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