Coronavirus News Update – Feb. 13: Could Pandemic Be Over by April?
CDC Comes Out Against Covid Test Requirement for Domestic Flights
Analysts at JP Morgan believe the pandemic could be “effectively” over by April. The timeline is much faster than most epidemiologists and economists have forecast.“The spread of the B.1.1.7. variant is not inconsistent with an overall decline of Covid and an end of the pandemic in Q2 due to vaccination, natural immunity, seasonality, and other factors,” wrote Marco Kolanovic, the bank’s head of quantitative and derivative strategy. “…While the dataset is still small, statistical analysis of current vaccination data is consistent with a strong decline (i.e. effective end) of the pandemic within ~40-70 days.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the average number of vaccination shots in the United States has been steadily increasing since late December. Two million shots were administered on Friday, bringing the seven-day average to 1.68 million per day, well above the Biden administration’s goal of 1.5 million. Approximately 38.5 million people in the country have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 12.1 million of them have already received their second dose.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration said Thursday that it had made arrangements to purchase an addition 200 million doses, which effectively would mean that every individual in the country would be vaccinated by the end of summer, were it not for the logistical challenges health officials face in inoculating people.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease specialist, is cautiously optimistic about the progress being made both in vaccinations and a recent reduction in new cases.“It is conceivable that we are turning the corner on this, but we have been fooled before,” he said on Thursday.
The Haute Autorité de santé, France’s health authority, said that one dose of the coronavirus vaccine would be sufficient for individuals who have already had the virus because most people who have recovered from the virus have already developed a strong immune response.
The chairman of KPGM UK, Bill Michael, resigned after telling employees to “stop moaning” about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and current working conditions. Michael, who was hospitalized with Covid-19 one year ago, was speaking at a virtual town hall meeting with members of the firm’s financial services consulting team when he made the comments.
Health officials in California have reversed course and will again offer the coronavirus vaccine to adults under the age of 65 with underlying conditions or developmental disabilities. A change in January to age-based tiers sparked controversy after people with chronic illnesses and disabilities were displaced by people 65 and older. The list of conditions now includes a variety of heart conditions, chronic kidney disease that is Stage 4 or higher, chronic pulmonary disease, Down syndrome, sickle cell disease, severe obesity, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and anyone whose life or ongoing care is otherwise likely to be threatened by the virus.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)