Pouch Holder Expresses Concern: "Easing Measures Could Trigger Another Major Outbreak"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Hee-jong] The number of people in the United States who have completed COVID-19 vaccination is approaching 30 million, surpassing the cumulative number of confirmed cases. As COVID-19 vaccination accelerates in the U.S., more states are easing quarantine restrictions.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the 6th (local time), as of that morning, 29,776,160 people in the U.S. had received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. This corresponds to about 9% of the total U.S. population. This also exceeds the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S., which Johns Hopkins University reported as 28,938,762 as of that day.
The number of people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine is 57,358,849, or 17.3% of the population, according to the CDC. The CDC reported that as of that day, approximately 116,355,000 doses of the vaccine had been distributed in the U.S., of which about 87,912,000 doses had been administered.
As vaccination speeds up and the number of new confirmed cases declines, more places are easing quarantine restrictions. California announced that starting from the 1st of next month, it will partially allow the reopening of various outdoor amusement parks such as Disneyland and sports stadiums including Major League Baseball (MLB) venues.
Arizona also lifted restrictions applied to gyms, movie theaters, and water parks, and allowed schools to resume in-person classes before the 15th of this month. West Virginia eased regulations on small businesses such as bars, restaurants, and grocery stores, and increased the limit on gathering sizes from 75 to 100 people. Connecticut plans to expand the capacity of restaurants and similar establishments to 100% starting from the 19th of this month.
However, concerns have been raised about these easing measures. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), expressed worries that such easing measures could trigger another wave of resurgence while new confirmed cases remain high.
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