COVID-19 infection rates are on the rise again but, while some are raising the alarm, you shouldn’t panic. We hesitated to write about this on April Fools’ Day because we worried people would think it’s a joke. It’s not. According to Johns Hopkins Univ., more than 63,000 new cases of COVID-19 are being reported in the U.S. daily. That is a 16 percent increase from a week ago. But, while that number is upsetting, it shouldn’t cause panic. That is nowhere near where we were in December and January at the peak.
There are a lot of factors coming into play. Spring break travel plus more travel overall, plus the variants, plus fewer mask restrictions, plus people’s fatigue, have added up to this. But, there is good news too. Nationally, deaths are dropping; about 1,000 people a day are dying from COVID-19. That is significantly better than it has been and is still declining.
Around 28 percent of adults in the U.S. have had one shot of a vaccine, and 15.5 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated. That’s great. As that number grows, things will continue to get better. Getting vaccinated protects you from becoming ill. If you are illegible, get your vaccine as soon as it is available to you.
Your current risk varies depending on where you live in the country. You can look up your state on this list, and clicking your state will give you a detailed map to show you more localized information. Regardless of where you live or what restrictions you may have, the best ways to protect yourself are by wearing a mask, washing your hands and staying away from people. While many folks are ignoring the rules after the strain of living separately for a year, it’s essential to protect yourself if you have health risks that make you more vulnerable to COVID-19.
While some health officials are being highly pessimistic, we think it’s important to look ahead. We can get through this. We need to protect ourselves, not just look at the doom and gloom around us.
“We know from prior surges that if we don’t control things now, there is a real potential for the epidemic curve to soar again,” said the director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “We can turn this around, but it will take all of us working together.”
We wanted to bring this information to your attention, not to alarm you but to keep you informed. It’s easy to slip and start to feel like we can go back to normal. It’s been a whole year, and when we see falling numbers, we begin to relax. But things reverse quickly. This weekend will be a time to celebrate Easter in a smaller group than usual or differently. One person we know is planning on making lamb kebabs on the barbecue to celebrate with family. It’s better to change tradition and be outside this year than regret it. We hope you and your loved ones are well and hope you are doing everything you can to take care of yourselves!
