You can put away that disinfectant now
Surface transmission of COVID-19 now officially classified as "low risk," says CDC. Variants now driving surge of new infections among younger adults.
Remember last year when many of us were wiping down every object that came near us, spraying disinfectants on everything and getting scared when another person touched anything? The CDC says you can relax a bit now. More on that below, but first:
More than 1% of the US population is getting vaccinated each day, according to the White House, with an average of more than 3 million shots per day. About 19% of Americans are now “fully vaccinated.”
However, the vast majority of shots are going into arms of white, non-Hispanic people, despite efforts to deliver more shots to minority communities.
White House Senior Advisor for COVID-19 Response Andy Slavitt says that 60% of shots given at the federally operated mass vaccination sites have been given to people from underserved communities.
New COVID-19 cases are still trending up, and more cases are being observed in younger people, according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “We know that these increases are due in part to more highly transmissible variants, which we are very closely monitoring,” she said.
The 7-day moving average of new cases is up 7%, new hospitalizations are up 3%, and deaths are down to about 800 per day.
This may reflect that more people who are getting infected are younger and less likely to get severe disease and because monoclonal antibody treatments, which are highly effective at preventing death or severe illness in the most vulnerable when administered early, are more widely available.
No need to wipe everything constantly
“…Based on available epidemiological data and studies of environmental transmission factors, surface transmission is not the main route by which SARS-CoV-2 spreads, and the risk is considered to be low,” says the updated science brief. “In most situations, cleaning surfaces using soap or detergent, and not disinfecting, is enough to reduce risk.” Check this page for advice on keeping surfaces safe in your home.
Crowded places without masks are definitely risky
In Monday’s White House COVID-19 briefing, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky reported on 46 COVID-19 cases traced directly to a February event with about 100 people inside a rural Illinois bar where people were “inconsistently” wearing masks or keeping apart. “Transmission associated with this opening event also resulted in eight households with infections, a school closure affecting 650 children, and the hospitalization of a long-term care facility resident,” she reported. Details are in the CDC’s MMWR.
ICYMI: The CDC on Friday said that people who are fully vaccinated can safely travel from state to state without quarantine or testing, even though non-essential travel is still discouraged.
The cruise industry isn’t happy with detailed technical guidelines for resuming cruises that the CDC published last week, even though the agency did not require vaccinations for all passengers, as some countries have already done.
Walgreens has updated its system so that it will no longer schedule Pfizer second doses four weeks after the first shot instead of the recommended three weeks.
Britain will allow pubs and restaurants to reopen as it comes partly out of lockdown on April 12.
The BBC has a helpful update on Vitamin D and Covid-19, in case you encounter anyone who claims there is a “cover-up” of this purported treatment.
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