Delta epidemic in the United States may approach its peak, experts warn: still facing challenges

According to a report from Agence France-Presse on September 14 in Washington, according to data collected by the "Action Now Prevent New Coronavirus" organization, as of Monday, the average number of new cases per day in the United States for seven days was 172,000, the highest level since the outbreak of this wave. At the same time, the rate of increase in cases has slowed, and the number of new cases in most states has begun to decrease. However, more than 1,800 people still die every day due to the new crown virus, and more than 100,000 people are hospitalized for severe new crown pneumonia. This grim situation reminds people that in the face of the proliferation of false information and a polarizing political climate, the authorities still face challenges in getting enough Americans to be vaccinated against the new crown.

Johns Hopkins University emergency medicine associate professor and COVID-19 intensive care expert Bhakti Hansotti said that she believes that the United States is developing on a similar trajectory to India. She said that at the end of the spring epidemic, she breathed a sigh of relief, but "I am a little hesitant this time." New mutant strains may appear, and colder weather will increase indoor social activities. These factors may all lead to a rebound of the epidemic.

University of Saskatchewan virologist Angela Rasmussen said that he is not sure whether the fourth wave of the epidemic has ended. She said: "Look at the wave of epidemics in the autumn and winter last year, and you will find that in some periods the epidemic first increased exponentially, and then appeared to decline - and then began to increase."

reported that it is vital for the United States to rapidly increase the number of vaccinated people. Currently, 63.1% of the U.S. population over 12 years of age who are eligible for the new crown vaccine have completed the vaccination, accounting for 54% of the total population. The Biden administration announced a series of new measures to promote vaccination last week, including the implementation of new vaccination requirements for companies with more than 100 employees, but the impact remains to be seen.

In addition to vaccination, experts hope to see other interventions continue to be implemented.

The report pointed out that before the delta mutant strain caused this wave of epidemics, some experts said that because a certain proportion of the population was vaccinated and some of the population gained immunity through natural infections, the United States was approaching herd immunity. Rasmussen said that the facts have proved that these predictions are incorrect and it is too early to judge when this threshold will be reached.

Mayo Clinic infectious disease expert Greg Pollan predicts that many generations will need to deal with the new crown virus in the future.