D.C. Region: Covid Cases Drop, Hospitalizations Plateau Following Delta Surge- DC, Md, Va Area
- NPR, WAMU, Oct. 13. 2021.
After a fourth surge of the coronavirus, driven by the highly contagious delta variant, case counts, hospitalizations, and deaths in the D.C. region have started plateauing or dipping down in October. Whether this decline will persist through the coming months remains to be seen, but public health experts say that the region can avoid another wave this winter if vaccination rates increase and more young children become eligible for their shots.
"I think we're getting close to a situation where we really can live with this virus," says Amira Roess, a professor of global health and epidemiology at George Mason University. "Small things can happen that can change the equation, but it really looks promising and that maybe the worst is behind us."
New infections in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia all declined by at least 10% in the first full week of October. The three jurisdictions are reporting an average daily case rate around 3,500 — a roughly 30% decrease from the worst of the delta surge in September, but still similar to the case load reported in February, before vaccines were widely available.
According to Roess, it's difficult to pinpoint one specific reason for the case drop locally (and nationally). One factor, she says, is that more people have been vaccinated and more people have been infected, meaning a larger portion of the population has some type of immunity...
- Read More,
https://www.npr.org/local/305/2021/10/13/1045602359/cases-drop-hospitalizations-plateau-in-d-c-region-following-delta-surge
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