Thanksgiving in 2021 is going to be entirely different from that of last year. But the risk still persists. The number of infections is showing an upward trend.
The country’s daily average is not even 50% of what it was in 2020. But the speed at which it spreads in the country; 92000 cases a day is 16% higher than that of the previous week.
Only Three Days Left For Thanksgiving
The numbers showed a downward trend by the end of summer. But it is showing an increase in recent days. At present, the rate of infections has come back to what it had been in the month of August.
The Midwestern States in the country are reporting one-third of the viral load of the entire country. States like Mississippi and Minnesota rank high in the matter. The trend, however, shows an upward motion across the nation.
Health experts say that the current trend is a natural outcome. People stay together inside because of the extreme winter. Furthermore, vaccine-induced immunity wanes with time. This happens because the amount of virus circulating in the air is still high in the country. And the situation is likely to remain the same for a while. Millions are yet to receive their first dose of the vaccine.
This gives the virus the opportunity to stay among people and mutate. The scenario is a dangerous one, experts say.
Your decision to remain unvaccinated exposes vulnerable groups of people to the danger of serious infection. You also put the vaccinated at risk because no vaccine offers full-proof protection.
A vast majority of the infections prevalent now are among the unvaccinated in the country at present. Almost 60% of the US’s vaccine-eligible population is fully protected. But one-third of the vaccine-eligible population, up to 82000000 people are yet to receive their first dose of the vaccine.
Those unvaccinated are likely to test positive for COVID 19 than those fully protected. The likelihood of serious illness, hospitalization, and death too increase correspondingly.
The likelihood of those unvaccinated to test positive for COVID 19 is six times higher than those fully protected. The likelihood of death for the same is 14% higher.
If your family is fully vaccinated, you don’t have to wear a mask when celebrating thanksgiving.
Last Friday, CDC updated its recommendations with regard to booster doses of vaccines. This makes all adults are eligible for the third dose after six months of completing their two-dose regimen of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine shots. There are over 100000000 adults eligible for the additional dose. But only 36000000 among them have received the extra dose of protection.
The number of COVID 19-related hospitalizations too is on the rise along with the number of new infections. There are more than 50000 people are hospitalized due to COVID 19 in the country at present. 75% of the ICU beds are full in recent days. And one in seven among them has a COVID 19 patient on it. Furthermore, over 100000 people succumb to the virus each day.
From the time when vaccines became widely available, most of the deaths that are happening are the result of people’s reluctance to get inoculated.
When organizing a thanksgiving party, require that everyone gets tested for COVID 19 before entering the venue. This guarantees the extra protection you require to prevent an outbreak. This, however, is not a must but offers an extra layer of protection.
If six months have passed since you received the two-shot regimen vaccine, get your booster. Science says it is safe. And health professionals are continuously monitoring these vaccines for their safety and efficacy.
Stay safe from rumors and gather information from reliable sources like the government portals.
With over 15 years as a practicing journalist, Nikki Attkisson found herself at Powdersville Post now after working at several other publications. She is an award-winning journalist with an entrepreneurial spirit and worked as a journalist covering technology, innovation, environmental issues, politics, health etc. Nikki Attkisson has also worked on product development, content strategy, and editorial management for numerous media companies. She began her career at local news stations and worked as a reporter in national newspapers.