Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky said on the 19th, the new coronavirus may come from the laboratory, but most coronavirus from animals; CDC also announced that the number of confirmed cases decreased again, as of the 18th, the seven-day average of 31,200 people.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report in March that the new coronavirus is “extremely unlikely” to have come from a laboratory leak, but this conclusion has come under fire, with the medical community demanding a more comprehensive investigation; 18 scientists last week in the journal “Science” (Science) 18 scientists last week in the journal “Science” (Science) said: “The virus from the laboratory accidentally and the possibility of human and animal transmission has not been ruled out.”
The CDC website currently states that the origin of the new coronavirus is unknown, “We know that the virus originated in an animal, probably a bat”; however, there are continuing calls to investigate whether the new coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, or in a laboratory.
During Valensky’s testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Republican Senator John Kennedy (D-Mass.) asked about the origin of the virus, to which she replied, “I don’t think I’ve seen enough information to comment on that.”
Pressed on the possible source, she said, “As far as we know, most coronaviruses that infect humans come from animals, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS).”
Kennedy asked again, “Are there other possibilities?” And Varensky said, “From the laboratory is also a possibility.” But the last CDC director, Robert Redfield, had said he believed the new coronavirus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan.
In addition, the CDC released information on the 18th that 60% of adults over the age of 18 have received their first dose of the vaccine; President Biden’s goal is for 70% of adults to receive at least one dose by July 4th, the Fourth of July. The population with at least one dose already accounts for 48 percent of the nation’s population and 38 percent of the population with a complete vaccination.
In seven states – Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and New Jersey – more than 70 percent of the population has received at least one dose. Federal information also shows that about 1.8 million doses of the vaccine were administered daily nationwide last week, down from 3.4 million doses in a single day on April 13.
Valensky also said that 600,000 of the 12- to 15-year-olds recently opened for vaccination have been vaccinated in the past week.
The CDC also noted that the seven-day average of 31,200 confirmed cases as of the 18th was down from more than 71,000 cases a day a month ago, and that confirmed cases fell by at least 5 percent in the past week in 40 states across the United States. The seven-day average of daily deaths from the disease is 614.
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