As Americans prepare to go back to school, for the start of the NFL season, and the beginning of fall, Covid cases are spiking across the nation. Hotspots include California, Utah, North Carolina, and Maine, with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting “very high” viral activity . But, there’s now some reason to hope for a healthier fall: On Thursday morning, the Food and Drug Administration approved the latest Covid vaccines for Americans, aged six months and older. “Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention,” Dr.
Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. The announcement comes as states across the country, like Oregon and Iowa, are grappling with surges — even as pandemic-era masking has been rolled back. In some areas, including California’s Bay Area, counties have even recommended residents wear masks once again.
The CDC’s Covid Data Tracker shows early indicators that test positivity, emergency department visits, and deaths are all up through August 10. The American Hospital Association said that the 18.1 percent test positivity rate for that week was the “highest it has been since January 2022.
” Wastewater surveillance, “an early warning sign of Covid -19’s spread in communities,” demonstrates very high viral activity across the U.S. indicating positivity rates could be even higher than reported test results,” the group said.
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