Dr. Fauci Predicts Uptick in Virus
By Josh Resnek
One to four cases of COVID-19 have been reported every day in Everett’s Public Schools since the school year began. This includes students and staff.
No schools, classes or grades have been shut in the EPS system in 2021.
The staff is mostly vaccinated.
The local population is largely vaccinated but with smaller, yet major percentages unvaccinated.
COVID-19 remains a part of the EPS program and of every public school system program even at this late date.
Defending against a return of COVID-19 is part of the daily routine for schools everywhere throughout Massachusetts.
Mask requirements through the New Year across the state’s public schools remain in effect.
Many experts who study the COVID-19 virus are predicting a winter of our discontent about to hit us like a deadly collision.
Epidemiologists claim that Americans who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus should get booster shots ahead of a winter spike that could be dangerous.
“Get vaccinated if you’re not vaccinated and boostered if you have been vaccinated,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said, speaking Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He addressed the recent rise in cases in the United States, explaining that as the weather cools and people spend more time indoors, an increase in infections is “not unexpected.” But, he said, the large portion of Americans who have yet to be vaccinated creates a “dynamic of virus in the community” that is dangerous, makes the unvaccinated vulnerable and “spills over into the vaccinated people.”
With Thanksgiving upon us, tens of millions of Americans are traveling through airports and will be confined inside jet airplanes, on trains and buses. For the unvaccinated, the coming holiday is like a breeding ground everywhere large crowds gather.
In the United States last week, the 7 day average of new cases reported was 92,000. Deaths came in at nearly 1,116 per day.
Total deaths stand at 775,000 as of Tuesday.
The government is reporting that 95% of United States government employees have been vaccinated.
Here in Massachusetts, COVID-19 cases are spiking.
“I think we have to be very cautious. We have to be very mindful. We can’t go into the holidays pretending that COVID is behind us. Unfortunately, it’s still very much with us,” said Dr. Philip Landrigan, director of the Global Public Health Program at Boston College.
Last Thursday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported the largest single day count of new coronavirus cases in nine months – 3,196 new cases in one day.
Public schools also saw a sharp increase last week, with 3,257 new cases among students and 558 staff members – a record high for a single week.
In Massachusetts, slightly more than 70% of the state’s residents have been vaccinated.
Massachusetts official warned those celebrating Thanksgiving that even with booster shots and two shots before that eating with larger groups inside crowded space creates a ripe atmosphere even for the vaccinated to get sick from the virus.
“Immunocompromised adults and the unvaccinated run the risk of catching the virus. Attention must be paid to being careful,” experts said.
Massachusetts leads the nation in getting residents vaccinated with 95% of all adults with one dose, and has one of the lowest COVID hospitalization rates in the country. This week, the Administration opened up eligibility for booster shots to all residents 18 and older and encourages everyone who is eligible to get this extra layer of protection from the virus, a Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman said in a statement.