Health officials prepare for Covid surge in US-19 cases after vacation

At Christmas in the rearview mirror, public health professionals are preparing for yet another surge COVID-19 Cases similar to those seen after other US holidays in recent months.

Erin Bromaj, an associate professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth, said: “I just saw these amplification events and that’s what happened in the United States later this year.

“we had Thanksgiving, we had labor DayThere was Halloween, and each of these events attracted more people and gave the virus more fuel to move the population, “Bromage said. “Christmas will do the same.”

in spite of Warning from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention More than 7.1 million people were screened at TSA checkpoints last week to postpone their trip and stay home, according to a number of authorities.

Nearly 1.2 million people were screened at the airport on Wednesday alone. This is a record of a pandemic air travel. The number of travelers screened on Christmas Day (616,469) is only 23% of the total number screened on the same day a year ago, but this does not mark the end of the holiday travel rush. The numbers are still a concern for the authorities. Calm before travelers start going home.

several weeks, Health experts and officials urged Americans to be safe This holiday season, and its guidance, continues until New Year’s Eve, and the CDC encourages New Year’s Eve to be celebrated at home or effectively. If they host a direct celebration, the agency suggests staying outside, limiting the number of guests, making additional masks available, and keeping background music low to avoid screaming.

Dr. Carlos Del Rio, Executive Associate Dean of Emory University School of Medicine, said that if people get together, they need to keep the meeting less than 10 people and take the test at least once, and in some cases twice.

“Your protection level is as strong as your weakest link, and if you have a weak link, the virus will spread,” he told CNN. “We have learned how fast and easy it is to spread this virus, so we need to take all possible precautions.”

UK travelers face new US testing requirements on Monday

Authorities fear a surge, despite U.S. plans Negative Covid-19 test required for all travelers from the UKFollowing the emergence of a new coronavirus variant that is potentially more contagious and is said to have originated in the United Kingdom.

The CDC announced on Thursday that passengers must have a negative PCR or antigen test, along with a document of test results, within 72 hours of boarding a flight from the United Kingdom to the United States. The airline must check the test before the flight.

The order will come into effect on Monday.

But CDC’s own researchers have discovered Take the Covid-19 test 3 days before travel According to a paper submitted online last month, it reduces the risk of spreading a new coronavirus by only 5-9%.

According to unpeer-reviewed treatises, departure-date testing may reduce that risk by 37 to 61%.

Dr. Del Rio said he was skeptical that the test requirements were effective and believed that it would be better to request a rapid antigen test on board and perhaps at the time of landing in the United States on CNN Saturday.

One test “not enough”

“One test in my head is not enough,” he said. “I think we need to do at least two tests.”

The CDC said earlier this week that its sequencing efforts in the United States had not identified the mutation, which may be because the US surveillance system established for Covid-19 has not yet caught it.

According to Del Rio, it is “very likely” that a new variant already exists in the United States, given the rapid spread of the virus.

“I think we need to tighten the restrictions we’re talking about, rather than being terribly worried about this new strain,” he said, pointing out mask wear and social distance.

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