"I continue to be worried about the latest data and the apparent stall we’re seeing in the trajectory of the pandemic," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing.
The U.S. is reporting a seven-day average of about 55,000 new cases per day, up 3% from the previous week. The country is also reporting about 4,600 new hospitalizations and nearly 1,000 deaths per day, Walensky said.
"When you’re at that level, I don’t think you can declare victory," Dr. Anthony Fauci said during the briefing. "We are at the corner. Whether or not we’re going to be turning that corner remains to be seen."
Walensky said she was particularly concerned about reports of spring breakers neglecting public health precautions. "What concerns me is the footage of what’s happening in spring breakers and people who are not continuing to implement prevention strategies while we get scaled up," she said. "I emphasize how we need to hang in there for just a little while longer."
About 2.5 million Americans are being vaccinated each day, according to Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser for COVID-19 response.
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