At the beginning of this year, the US saw the highest number of Covid-19 cases and deaths it had ever seen. Personal protective equipment (PPE), like masks and gloves, was next to impossible to find and purchase resulting in the worst shortage since the start of the pandemic. On top of a PPE shortage, price gouging and supply chain disruption shook US businesses to their core. 2021 was off to a rocky start but has managed to turn itself around with the hard work of leaders and individuals working to stop the virus. Fighting coronavirus is far from over, but we have finally begun making visible progress in getting control over it, and normalcy is now something we can begin to imagine again. 

US Covid-19 Cases 

Since the start of the pandemic, the US has seen more the 30 million cases and over 550,000 deaths. In the last 30 days, deaths have started to decline, and the CDC forecasts that we will continue to see a decrease in Covid related deaths over the next three and a half weeks. While this is great news, people are still getting sick and losing their lives to Covid-19. 

The UK variant is now the dominant strain of Covid in the US. This means that anyone who previously had Covid-19, and had gained some natural immunity, no longer has any natural immunity. Innate immunity acquired by the original Covid-19 strain does nothing to protect against the variants, also known as wild types. The vaccines, however, have all showed considerable protection against the variants. It is not only essential to get vaccinated but to continue wearing masks and social distancing. C & A Scientific has dedicated itself to providing PPE to its customers during the pandemic. It is C & A’s goal to be the leader in helping improve the health and minds of people worldwide. Contributing to a healthy public is just one way they can help reach this goal. 

 The CDC has recently updated their traveling guidelines, stating that those who have been fully vaccinated can travel within the US if they continue to wear masks and take other precautions to keep themselves and others safe from the vaccine. 

As of April 7th, 41.7% of the population over 18 has received at least one vaccine dose. Studies have shown that even receiving just one dose of the vaccine is 80% effective at protecting you from the vaccine. Although this is an excellent amount of protection, two doses are better than one. Two weeks after receiving the second dose of the vaccine, the effectiveness jumps to 90%. 

Receiving the vaccine and protecting ourselves remains incredibly important. A recent study found that one-third of Covid-19 patients experienced psychological or neurological diagnoses over six months. The most common diagnoses were anxiety and mood disorders. As of now, we are still learning about how the Covid-19 virus affects our bodies.  

Ongoing studies have shown that the vaccine was 100% effective for children between the ages of 12-15. The US hopes to have children vaccinated by the end of the year in hopes of students and staff returning to school full-time.  

The three vaccines administered in the US are Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson (single dose). AstraZeneca is currently awaiting approval from the FDA; however, there has been some controversy surrounding this vaccine. The EU has found cases of a rare blood clot occurring in those under the age of 60. Some researchers ask for an alternative vaccine to be offered to those under 30, as there is a possible link to blood clots. One EU regulator stated that the vaccine benefits outweigh risks, and specific risk factors have not been confirmed. 

Many AstraZeneca trials have been put on hold for review and will resume when more information on the blood clot risk can be resolved. Until then, the US will continue working with Johnson & Johnson to produce another 93 million doses by the end of May 2021. 

Expected Changes Post-Pandemic  

Many states have begun lifting mandates and allowing people to go out without masks and start the process of resuming to normalcy. 50% of the adult population was projected to have at least one dose by April 10th, with half of the country’s immunity increased by 80%, the conversations about reopening the county have begun to pick up. One significant change we will see in the coming weeks is increased assistance from the government surrounding financial aid for Covid-19 funeral expenses. 

FEMA has announced that they will be offering more aid for those who have had to pay for funeral expenses if they have suffered the loss of a loved one during the pandemic and have been faced with the decrease of funds. Another major shift is the reopening of states. California has announced that the state will be reopening fully in June 2021. They are now preparing their major cities, like Los Angeles, to reopen fully. As states reopen, a new controversy has taken hold in the US. Vaccine passports, which were first seen in Jerusalem, are being discussed for use in the US.  

States like Florida and Texas have already passed legislation banning the use of vaccine passports in their states. Vaccine passports allow businesses to require proof of a Covid-19 vaccine for people to enter their stores or use their services. This will also cross over to international travel, as many other countries will require proof of vaccination to enter their countries. 

C & A Scientific is a dedicated leader in improving the health and minds of people worldwide. We supply over 700 award-winning medical and STEM-inspired products to distributors and retailers looking for sensational customer service. Learn more about us and our story here.