US Covid infection rate up 7 per cent despite big increase in vaccinations

Johnson & Johnson is expected to provide the federal government with 11m vaccine doses next week

Coronavirus case numbers have fallen dramatically since the start of the year, but the recent seven-day average of infections jumped significantly, causing concern among health experts the United States could erase progress made in the fight against the pandemic.

Dr Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gave an update on the state of the pandemic during a White House Covid response team briefing on Friday.

The US was averaging about 57,000 new infections per day, she said, which was a 7 per cent increase from the past seven-day average. Coronavirus hospitalisations have also increased over the last seven days, which has concerned health officials.

Deaths, which tend to be a lagging indicator, were still decreasing with the US averaging about 1,262 deaths per day – an 8.2 per cent decline over the last seven days.

"We have seen cases and hospitalizations admissions move from historic declines to stagnation and increases," Dr Walensky said, adding she was "deeply concerned" about the current trajectory.

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"We know from prior surges that if we don't control things now, there is a real potential for the epidemic curve to soar again," she continued.

States relaxing coronavirus restrictions as more and more residents receive a vaccine, as well as Americans venturing out more, could be why infection numbers were on the rise. While this rise was a fraction of the average cases the country saw during the mid-January peak, it could cause another surge in the virus and influence the death toll.

“It’s going to take a while longer,” Dr Walensky said. “Hang in a little while longer with masks and other mitigation efforts.”

The rise in infection numbers comes as the United States continues to rapidly vaccinate the American public.

Jeffrey Zients, President Joe Biden’s coronavirus czar, revealed that the federal government anticipated Johnson & Johnson would deliver 11 million doses of its vaccine by next week, which would then be distributed to states.

Johnson & Johnson, which received emergency use authorisation from the FDA earlier this year, initially promised 20 million doses by the end of March, but the pharmaceutical giant hit a lag in manufacturing, causing concern it would not reach its vaccine goal.

The Biden administration stepped in and partnered Merck, another pharmaceutical giant, with Johnson & Johnson so another facility would be available to produce vaccine doses.

“We’ve done a lot to help J&J. We’re monitoring that very closely, and we anticipate a significant increase at the end of this month, which will enable them to hit at least 20 million doses,” Mr Zients said.

The federal government distributed 27 million vaccine doses to states this week, Mr Zients said, which was three times the amount being delivered when Mr Biden first took office in January. The increased dose allocation has helped the country administer an average of 2.5 million vaccines per day.

To date, 71 per cent of those 65 years and older have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, Mr Zients added.

The US has administered more than 133 million vaccine doses since the start of the pandemic and 14.3 per cent of the country’s adult population was fully vaccinated, according to data collected by the CDC.