US Health Officials Warn a Possible COVID Surge in Fall and Winter

The current administration of the United States recently reported that that country might witness another wave of coronavirus infections this fall and winter. According to the experts, the wave is driven by new omicron subvariants that have upscaled the ability to evade the immune systems of the human body.

According to the health authorities, the new coronavirus wave in the upcoming seasons would impact up to 100 million cases, some of which might result in death.

Upcoming Increase in COVID Cases

(Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha speaks at a daily press conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 26, 2022, in Washington, DC. Dr. Jha came to the briefing room to speak on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and ways the administration is working to prevent people in the United States from getting severe infections. Earlier today, the White House announced that U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19.

Senior administration officials relaid the US public health announcement as part of a larger briefing that tackles the approaching 1 million death toll in the country. Details from these events would be utilized for an effective approach that could improve the readiness of the US and might be a factor that would let lawmakers raise funding for supporting tests, vaccines, and therapeutics related to COVID-10 infections.

The forecast of a whopping 100 million cases, according to the scientists, would be induced by the cold weather that intercepts both last of the fourth quarter until the start of the first quarter next year. Although the announcement did consider the seasons, there were no formal data presented during the briefing,

Experts believe a major coronavirus wave this fall and winter would be possible due to the decline of immunity from the infections and the low vaccination rates in many states. In addition, the loosened restrictions might also impact public health, allowing new subvariants to escape the immune protections of many people effortlessly.

Many studies have warned about the potential pitfalls of relaxed protocols and the behaviors of the public, all from exposure to crowded places to going maskless.

According to a report by The Washington Post, the seven-day average cases in the US increased more than twice and were estimated to be over 29,000 on March 30 to 71,000 in May's first week.

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Action Plan of US Against Coronavirus

University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health's epidemiology specialist Justin Lessler explained that the projections are reasonable, considering that long-term trends are waiting to happen, and there is limited knowledge about the coronavirus and human behavior.

 University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation expert Ali Mokdad also said that there is a possibility of a surge in winter. The organization provided several insights into how an increase in COVID cases would occur by the end of May and decrease until the winter season.

The White House is currently seeking a staggering $22.5 billion for preparations against any upcoming waves of the coronavirus in the near future. However, the rise was interrupted following the administration's decision to relax the majority of the states and even the restriction on the US border.

Authorities are concerned over the exhaustion of antivirals and testing equipment related to the summer surge in the South. They say that the depletion of these resources would influence the fall and winter surge, allowing an increase in cases and uncontrollable hospitalization and death toll rates.

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