Nearly a year after Covid-19 vaccines were first administered in the United States, the country is returning to many of the hallmarks that defined previous pandemic life: mask wear, mass vaccination sites, crowded hospitals, and a increasing number of deaths.
More than 200 million Americans — more than 60% of the US population — have received at least two doses of Pfizer, Moderna or the single dose of Janssen vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym). in English).
Despite this triumph of modern science, the death toll in the country continues to rise. Since the first dose was administered, nearly 500,000 people have died from Covid-19. The country is expected to pass the 800,000 death mark next week, according to a Reuters tally.
Infections, which have approached 50 million since the pandemic began, have also increased in recent weeks, especially as the cooler weather in the northern states makes activities indoors, allowing for easier transmission of the virus.
In southwestern New Mexico, hospitals are reaching record levels of capacity as unvaccinated patients fill intensive care units (ICUs).
At the San Juan Regional Medical Center, one of the worst-hit hospitals in the state, intensive care beds were filled as quickly as patients were discharged or died.
Doctors and nurses are struggling to cope with the emotional and physical strain. Larry Goff, 61, said he was happy to have caved and gotten the Janssen vaccine.
“You know, I was one of those who resisted for a long, long time. But I’m glad I finally gave in to do this,” said Goff.
Goff further stated that his daughter had been treated at the same hospital with Covid-19 and had lost her baby as a result of her illness.
“They’re saying Covid sticks with the young and the old, but also the unborn,” he warned.
About 94% of deaths in the hospital are among unvaccinated, doctors said. Many of them are in their 30s or 40s.
Cheryl Sanders was sitting beside her husband Vincent’s bed as he battled a lung infection caused by Covid-19. Both were not vaccinated, and she said her husband’s ordeal would not change their minds about vaccines.
Nurse Patricia Thomas was standing next to a dead patient she treated, with a white sheet over her body, and a photo of her family at her feet.
His relatives made the decision to withdraw him from life support. He was vaccinated and had five children and twelve grandchildren.
“We took out the tubes and let [sua família] come in and hold his hand as he passed comfortably. Today was very difficult, because it’s my third [morte por Covid-19] this week,” Thomas said, holding back tears.
As with other states with high initial vaccination rates, such as Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, immunity has declined in New Mexico, pushing these states to the top of new case rankings.
The state’s Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham encouraged vaccinations in early 2021 to try to limit hospitalizations.
Three out of four Covid patients in the state have not been vaccinated, officials said.
Fighting the virus has been complicated by its more aggressive mutations, including the currently dominant Delta variant and the fast-spreading Ômicron, which was first identified last month and already detected in nearly half of the 50 states.
The politicization of vaccines and the hesitation of many Americans to take the shots also helped to sustain the pandemic, often with more deadly results, experts said.
Reference: CNN Brasil
