The number of new coronavirus deaths in the United States on the 18th reached 1,054, which is the first time since March this year to exceed 1,000. The number of confirmed cases exceeded 160,000 on the same day, setting a new record for this round of epidemics. Based on various information, the prospect of this wave of counterattack against the new crown epidemic is very worrying.
The worst time of the epidemic in the United States so far occurred in early January this year. The daily increase in confirmed cases exceeded 300,000, and the number of deaths exceeded 4,000. With the increase in the number of vaccinations, the epidemic situation has slowly improved. Since mid-March, the number of newly diagnosed and death cases has steadily decreased. At the best time, the number of confirmed cases has increased daily to less than 10,000 and fewer than 200 deaths. However, as the delta strain of the mutant new coronavirus began to spread in early July, the number of confirmed and dead cases has risen rapidly again. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States expects that the number of confirmed cases will soon exceed 200,000.
The superposition of multiple factors has made people feel pessimistic about the prospects of the epidemic in the United States. The first is that the school season is approaching, and large-scale cluster infections may be inevitable. In particular, students under the age of 12 have not been vaccinated against the new crown, and all walks of life in the United States have not yet reached a consensus on issues such as whether students should wear masks when they arrive at school.
The second is that the Delta strain is extremely contagious. The latest research shows that even after two doses of Pfizer vaccine or AstraZeneca vaccine, once a breakthrough infection occurs, the viral load in the infected person is basically at the same high level as the unvaccinated person. In other words, although vaccination can reduce severe illness and mortality, people infected with the new coronavirus after vaccination can still pass the virus to others.
In addition, the anti-intellectual and anti-science phenomenon in the United States in the fight against the epidemic has not changed in the slightest. Due to the interference of political factors between parties, even the most basic common-sense epidemic prevention method of wearing a mask has been debated so far.
There are sad stories of the new crown virus ruining families in the American media every day. Some media reported on the 18th that a couple living in Texas-42-year-old Lydia and 49-year-old Rodriguez refused to be vaccinated because they were suspicious of the new crown vaccine. As a result, their children returned from the summer camp and the whole family. The infections continued, and the severely ill couple came to their senses before they died and told their four children to be vaccinated as soon as possible.
Facts have proved that strict epidemic prevention measures combined with vaccination are the best way to get out of the haze of the epidemic, but the decision makers of the US federal and state seem to pin all hopes on vaccines. With billions of people living in poor and backward areas around the world who have not been vaccinated against the new crown, the United States has a large stock of vaccines that are much higher than the country's demand; although more than 625,000 Americans have died from the new crown, it does not seem to have been vaccinated. Too much vigilance is aroused in the United States, people still go their own way, and large-scale gatherings continue. Since the beginning of summer, the music festivals held in Michigan International Circuit and Chicago have hardly any epidemic prevention measures. Related reports have shown that a large number of music festival participants have been infected with the new crown virus. In the future, many similar music festivals will be held across the United States.