By Holly Yan and Christina Maxouris
The US is at risk of losing all its recent gains in the battle against Covid-19 as highly contagious variants take advantage of Americans getting lax with safety measures.
“Please hear me clearly: At this level of cases with variants spreading, we stand to completely lose the hard earned ground we have gained,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
After weeks of tumbling case numbers, new infections are on the rise again — about 2% more this past week compared to the previous week, Walensky said Monday.
“Similarly, the most recent seven-day average of deaths has also increased more than 2% … to nearly 2,000 deaths per day.”
Walensky also called out states that were easing up on Covid-19 safety mandates.
“I am really worried about reports that more states are rolling back the exact public health measures we have recommended to protect people from Covid-19,” she said.
“Please stay strong in your conviction. Continue wearing your well-fitting mask and taking the other public health prevention actions that we know work,” Walensky added.
“It is so critical that we remain vigilant and consistently take all of the mitigation steps we know work to stop the spread of Covid-19 while we work our way toward mass vaccination.”
