As the Summer Olympic Games are set to kick off in Tokyo later this week, fears of the growing Delta variant around the world and particularly in the US are fueling new concerns about COVID-19. Here is the latest on the pandemic and what you need to know.
As of Tuesday, the highly transmissible Delta variant now accounts for over 83% of the COVID-19 cases in the US. This information was provided by the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Dr. Rochelle Walensky. She provided the information during a hearing with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
This number is up from 50% during the week of July 3. The Delta variant is running the highest in the state of Missouri, with almost 90% of cases being blamed on this strain.
The CDC also revealed that the Alpha variant is now responsible for 8.3% of US cases as of July 17. The Gamma variant accounts for 3.3% of cases with the remaining variants making up a minuscule fraction of domestic cases.
Areas with High COVID-19 Transmission
The CDC also released data this week that details that 22% of the US population lives in a county that currently has high levels of transmission. This translates to almost 73 million Americans. The figure is approximately 10 times more than what it was at the beginning of June when less than 3% of Americans lived in areas with high transmission levels.
The CDC defines high transmission as 100 or more confirmed cases per 100,000 residents or a test positivity rate of over 10% over the previous week.
The flipside numbers are also not promising. Only 5% of the population, about 16 million people, live in a county with low transmission. As of July 18, approximately half of all Americans live in counties considered to have moderate levels of transmission.
White House Breakthrough Cases
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed on Tuesday that there have been a few instances of breakthrough COVID-19 cases in the White House. A breakthrough case is defined as a positive COVID-19 confirmation in a fully vaccinated individual. Psaki did not confirm the identities of the positive individuals, citing privacy concerns. She did confirm that the White House Medical Unit conducted thorough contact tracing and the individuals are isolating.
Leading Group of Pediatricians Weighs in on Masking in Schools
In a somewhat surprising move, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released its updated COVID-19 guidance for schools heading into the new year. In a break from the previously released recommendations by the CDC, the AAP supports universal masking in all students for in-person learning, regardless of if they are vaccinated or not. This is a stricter approach than what the CDC released earlier this month when it said that vaccinated students did not need to wear masks.
While they took different stances on mask-wearing in schools, the AAP was in agreement with the CDC when it said that the benefits of in-person schooling outweigh the risks of the virus.
Controversy Swirling Around Summer Olympics
Just hours before the official start of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo and there are still questions about whether the competition should go on. On Tuesday, the chief of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, Toshiro Muto, did not rule out canceling the games outright. Muto said that he would continue to keep an eye on the COVID-19 infection rate and consult with other organizers over the next few days.
As of Tuesday, there were nearly 70 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Japan that could be traced back to the Games. These cases trace back to July 1, the date when many athletes, officials, and dignitaries began arriving in Tokyo for the festivities.
The majority of residents in Tokyo do not approve of the Games happening, citing rising cases in the city. In addition, Japan’s vaccination program has fallen behind its counterparts in other developed nations.
US Athletes Affected
There have been a handful of US athletes that have been affected by COVID-19 over the last few days. Early Monday, the news broke that American gymnast Kara Eaker had tested positive for the virus. Eaker is showing no symptoms and had been fully vaccinated prior to arrival in Tokyo. The alternate on the team is now isolating in her hotel room and is knocked out of the competition completely. Another alternate gymnast, Leanne Wong, is isolating after having had close contact with Eaker.
Later that same day, 3×3 women’s basketball player Katie Lou Samuelson also announced that she was out of the competition after testing positive for the virus. Like Eaker, Samuelson is fully vaccinated.
American tennis phenom Coco Gauff announced last week on her Twitter account that she was positive and was forced to pull out of the Games.
These issues are just a snapshot of what is affecting the Games on a global scale. The US team is certainly not the only nation dealing with positive COVID-19 cases heading into the final countdown to the Games.
