Health experts across the U.S. are warning of a post-holiday COVID-19 surge. Widespread travel, super spreader events as family and friends gathered, as well as the arrival of back to school and cooler weather could create a problem for hospitals.
COVID vaccination rates are also lagging across the U.S. as rural communities and states in the south struggle to get their populations vaccinated.
“We know it’s going to show up, so we just really have to wait and see,” said Mark Williams from the University of Arkansas. “But we’re not optimistic that we’re going to see any downturns anytime in the next four weeks.”
In terms of vaccination efforts – in places where numbers lag, or there’s simply an unwillingness to get vaccinated – things are getting discouraging.
Public health officials said a COVID vaccine clinic outside an Arkansas University football game didn’t get a single taker.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that COVID-19 deaths could surge to 19,000 in the four week period that ends September 25.
The CDC recommended that unvaccinated Americans not travel over the holiday weekend. However, without across-the-board vaccinate passport policies – public health officials are worried about how many did travel.
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