US coronavirus: Experts are warning of a potential Covid-19 surge while several governors are loosening restrictions

The governor said that a county judge could opt to use mitigation strategies if Covid-19 hospitalizations in any of the state’s 22 hospital regions rise above 15% of the hospital bed capacity in that region for seven days straight. But they cannot impose jail time for people who don’t follow Covid-19 orders nor can residents be penalized for not wearing masks, he said.

In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves said starting Wednesday, the state would be lifting its county mask mandates and allowing businesses to operate at full capacity.

However, health experts say now is not the time to lift the restrictions.

“This is a gigantic mistake,” Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor of medicine at George Washington University, said of the Texas and Mississippi announcements. “We’ve seen this movie and it doesn’t turn out well.”

Ohio’s Gov. Mike DeWine also announced revisions to public health orders, including dropping the 300-person limit for events at banquet centers while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unveiled a series of eased restrictions taking effect Friday, including expanded capacity for restaurants, retail, gyms, stadiums and other facilities.

In Chicago, officials announced indoor capacity at bars, restaurants and other businesses can now be increased to 50% and bars and restaurants will be allowed to remain open until 1 a.m.

And in Louisiana, the majority of businesses — including restaurants and salons — will be allowed to move to 75% capacity, while religious services will no longer have capacity limits, the governor said.

Testing demand is dropping

It’s true that cases are down from their January peak and experts were encouraged by a steady decline in Covid-19 case numbers for several weeks.

But it’s important to note two factors: First, the steep weeks-long decline of cases that was reported in the US seems to have leveled off, according to the CDC director. And that plateau comes at still very high numbers — with the US averaging more than 65,000 new cases daily for the past week.

And second, fewer people appear to be getting tested although Covid-19 testing remains a powerful tool in the country’s battle against the virus, according to the CDC.

In the week that ended Monday, the US recorded an average of about 1.5 million Covid-19 tests daily, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.

That’s about 26% fewer than the average in mid-January, when the US saw a seven-day average of more than 2 million tests reported.

“Widespread testing must continue in order to defeat the pandemic,” Dr. Greta Massetti, from the CDC, told CNN. “It will take many months for all Americans to have the opportunity to receive one of the vaccines available.”

“In the meantime, it’s essential that people continue to take preventive measures.”

More good news for vaccines

More than 26.1 million have received both doses, according to the data. That means roughly 7.9% of the US population is fully vaccinated against the virus.

Governors across the country have said the extra doses will help quickly ramp up vaccinations and some have even announced expanded eligibility guidelines as a result of the added supply.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced that starting Wednesday, all frontline essential workers in Group 3 are eligible to make vaccine appointments, noting that the state also plans to make residents with comorbidities in Group 4 eligible later this month.

“The third vaccine and improving vaccine supply will help us get more people vaccinated more quickly,” the governor said. “But as we’ve said before — we still don’t have enough vaccines. You may have to wait for an appointment even if today’s action means you are eligible to get vaccinated.”

For Americans who have already received a first dose, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine should not replace second doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines except in “exceptional situations,” the CDC warned.

“The Covid-19 vaccines are not interchangeable, and the safety and efficacy of a mixed-product series has not been evaluated,” Dr. Sarah Mbaeyi, CDC medical officer, said Tuesday. “We don’t want people to just start mixing and matching with whatever is easiest to get.”

Vaccine guidance coming soon

For Americans who are already fully vaccinated, recommendations on what they should do are on their way.

The CDC will release guidance for fully vaccinated people when it is finalized later this week, a CDC official told CNN.

The guidance is reported to include a recommendation that fully vaccinated people limit their social interactions to small home gatherings with other fully vaccinated people.

It reportedly will also recommend that fully vaccinated people continue to wear masks in public and practice social distancing. It’s a recommendation that’s also been made by other health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Additionally, the guidance will reportedly include scenarios for Americans to consider when making plans, including travel.