According to a New York Times report, the Whitehouse is working on an alternative plan to provide vaccines to US residents should the US lawmakers shoot down the $22.5bn Covid-19 emergency funding request.
The new forecast comes when the US leads the world again with more than 82 million Covid-19 cases since the virus struck the world in 2020, resulting in more deaths, unemployment, and shuttered global economy.
Grim Days Ahead
According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 60% of the US population is infected by Covid-19, with the country’s Coronavirus death toll expected to hit 1 million last week, Washington Post reported.
However, the projections are based on models and are not formal projections based on new data. The prediction also assumes there would be no additional federal aid.
Many public health experts have acknowledged this possible surge during the cold winters.
“I would think that we should expect that we are going to see some increase in cases as you get to the colder weather in the fall,” Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Fauci also added the new surge in Covid-19 infection was the main reason the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and their advisory committee were meeting to discuss a practical strategy to avert the impending crisis.
A Surge in Daily and Weekly Infections
The grim warning came when the seven-day new infections average had ballooned to 71,000. More than double the 29,312 recorded about five weeks ago. According to CDC data, the daily average infection had reached 26,600 by Wednesday last week from the previous 24,800 news cases recorded on March 29, 2022.
The steady uptick follows a month of downward trend after the Omicron surge peaked at about 800,000 daily new infections reported in mid-January.
Dr. Fauci considers rolling back of the mask mandate and social distancing, among other major factors, contributing to the rising US Covid-19 infection rate.
If the upward trend continues, the country could face dark days ahead with overwhelming hospitalization and a massive death toll.
