The daily case average of Covid-19 in the United States hit rock bottom since Christmas, with a currently reported average of 215,000 new cases each day, a drop of 71 % in the past three weeks based on federal records.
However, observers believe that the reported numbers are not enough reason to relax. There is a possibility of higher case totals as almost 99% of US counties reported high transmission numbers, and many Americans who use at-home Covid-19 tests do not submit their results to health authorities.
Federal data show that hospitalization rates in the country continue to drop. Per ABC News, a daily average of roughly 12,100 Americans with COVID-19 get hospitalized, decreasing by nearly 25% in the last week.
Around 2,300 new Covid-19 deaths per day are now the national average.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering, more than 5.7 million individuals have died from the COVID-19 virus worldwide, including more than 917,000 Americans.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 64.3 percent of the population in the United States has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Businesses Begin to Ease Restrictions
Amid the decline in the reported Covid-19 cases in the country, some business establishments end some pandemic restrictions.
Walmart officials advised their employees on Friday that they will no longer be required to wear masks at Walmart or Sam's Club stores if they are fully vaccinated, with exceptions.
In a company memo obtained by news companies, Per WSOC-TV, Walmart chief people officer Donna Morris and chief medical officer, Dr. John Wig, reported some updates on the company's Covid-19 protocols.
The memo stated that "fully vaccinated associates will not be required to wear masks while working unless required by a state or local mandate or ordinance."
Walmart officials consider a person fully vaccinated after receiving two doses of either e Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in sync with the recommendations from the CDC.
The memo further states that employees who are unvaccinated "will be required to continue wearing masks until further notice." Moreover, masks will still be mandated for associates in health clinics and pharmacies with direct contact with patients/customers regardless of vaccination status.
In the coming weeks, Walmart will drop daily health screenings and will stop its Covid-19 emergency leave policy "except as required by state or local mandates or ordinances."
As public health officials note a decline in reported US COVID-19 cases, other corporations have also expressed plans to eliminate employee mask requirements. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon announced in a recent memo that fully vaccinated warehouse workers would no longer be required to wear masks.
Vaccine For Kids Under 5 Put On Hold
Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech on Friday suspended the process of authorizing its Covid-19 vaccine for children under five years old.
USA Today reported that both companies decided to wait for the data on a third vaccine dose for children under the bracket to become available, possibly in April.
The pharmaceutical firms had earlier remarked that such information would be ready in late March or early April and that they would subsequently seek vaccination approval. The manufacturers, however, presented their data and requested authorization for the first two doses and said they could add a third in the future, under the pressure of the Food and Drug Administration.
