U.S. sees COVID-19 situation easing as WHO cautions against end of restrictions

NEW YORK, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Just 2 percent of the United States population, about 7 million people, lives in a county where the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommends universal indoor masking, according to the CDC's COVID-19 data on Thursday.

This is 16 million fewer people than just last week, when about 7 percent of the U.S. population lived in a county considered to have a "high" community level. Two weeks ago, when the CDC first released the new metrics, about 28 percent of the U.S. population lived in a county considered to have a high community level.

Meanwhile, according to Thursday's update, nearly 73 percent of the U.S. population now lives in a county considered to have a "low" community level, where there is no recommendation for masking.

Some 21 percent live in a county considered to have a "medium" community level, where the CDC recommends that immunocompromised people and those at high risk for severe disease consider taking extra precautions against COVID-19.

MEASURES EASED

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is extending the mask mandate on public transportation until April 18, NBC on Thursday quoted White House and TSA officials as saying. The requirement was set to expire on March 18 after having been extended twice before.

The CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when the mask rules can be lifted during this time, according to the report.

Meanwhile, United Airlines, citing a steep decline in COVID-19 cases, told staff on Thursday that it will allow unvaccinated workers to return to their jobs starting March 28, a shift from a company that had one of the country's strictest inoculation mandates.

Last August, United said it would require U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or face termination. More than 96 percent of United's roughly 67,000 U.S. workers were vaccinated, the company said.

NOT SO FAST

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that a pandemic was underway. Two years passed, the organization stressed that many countries are being too quick to declare it over and let down their guard.

"Two years later, American states and many countries are rushing to drop public health precautions, reduce testing and lift restrictions, citing the swift decline of the Omicron surge -- and the WHO is saying: Not so fast," reported The New York Times on Friday.

Meanwhile, The Washington Post (WP) said that "it will take years to fully absorb and assess how profoundly this virus transformed the country. Illness, grief, anxiety and disruptions to daily life still afflict millions."

The official tally of U.S. coronavirus cases to date is about 80 million, but that reflects only confirmed cases reported by the states. Some people have been infected more than once; many others never got tested, according to the report.

To arrive at a more accurate number, health authorities look at blood tests that detect antibodies from infection. These estimates indicate that more than 140 million Americans, about 43 percent of the population, have had the virus.

"That's about double the rate reflected in national case counts," added the WP report.