"Surge in COVID Hospitalizations coincides with School Reopening and Vaccine Rollout"
Covid hospitalizations are surging across the United States, with new admissions increasing by about 16% over the past week. This spike comes as students return to school and just before updated shots from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax are set to be rolled out for a fall vaccination campaign. Dr. Deborah Birx, former White House coronavirus response coordinator, warns that the U.S. has let its guard down and is not adequately testing for Covid. She also criticizes the delayed release of vaccines to combat the summer wave and calls for the development of new shots to target emerging variants. Despite the rise in cases, Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that the number of hospitalizations and deaths will not reach previous levels due to the substantial wall of immunity from vaccination and prior infection. However, Birx warns that the U.S. should prepare for a winter surge and start making vaccines for that wave.