US coronavirus: Another Covid-19 surge is unlikely but the pandemic will still be with us, former FDA chief says
CNNCNN — Mass vaccinations and natural protection from those already infected are likely to prevent a fourth wave of Covid-19 in the United States, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said Sunday. “There’s enough of a backstop here that I don’t think you’re going to see a fourth surge.” About 81 million people have had at least one dose of a vaccine, a number that is going up significantly every day. “This is going to be our most difficult period right now in terms of seeing who wins out.” With about a quarter of all Americans having received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine – and about 13% fully vaccinated – doubling down on safety measures now is what could help curb another surge, experts have repeatedly stressed. “While we’re making great progress with our vaccination efforts and many people are doing the right thing by wearing masks and not gathering in large groups, what we are seeing now is very concerning data that shows that we are going in the wrong direction.” Case rates have been increasing for the past month, Khaldun said, and increased 77% since mid-February. Mike Parson said Friday that while he encouraged everyone to get vaccinated and thinks it’s the right thing to do, he knows there will be a “certain amount of people” who are not going to take the vaccine, “and they have every right to do that.” “We got to do a better job of making sure everybody understands the importance of the vaccine, and yet maintain the respect of people that don’t want to take a vaccine, and it is going to be a challenge to see how many people we can get done, but we’re going to do everything we can,” the governor said.