The United State is "turning the corner" on its current COVID 19 surge but vaccination remains key to ensuring cases continue trending downward ahead of the holiday season.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that the U.S is averaging around 107,000 new infections every day and rates of hospitalizations and deaths have been on the decline.
However, University of Minnesota Infectious Disease Director Dr. Michael Osterholm says there is still a long way to go before we can say the pandemic has ended.
"We still have 70 million Americans who have not been vaccinated," Osterholm said. "That's more than enough human wood to keep this coronavirus fire burning and it will find you. We cannot run the game clock out on this virus."
While the numbers are down overall in the United States, Osterholm said the numbers in the Midwest are not.
"Right now we are as bad as we've been here in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan and North Dakota," said Osterholm.
There are other states as well seeing a sharp increase in cases, like Alaska.
"Alaska has been devastated by this virus over the past month," Osterholm said.
Osterholm told WCCO's Steve Simpson on the Morning News that he thinks the number of cases into the winter months will drop, but he is still particularly worried about children.
"Last week, we reported 3,000 new cases in kids, and on top of that, we have at least 4,000 that are being processed this week to be counted against last week," Osterholm told Simpson. "And we have at least 40,000 kids who have had contact with someone with COVID."
Over the weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came out with its latest guidance for safely celebrating the upcoming holiday season.
The agency is suggesting that families hold virtual holiday celebrations or have socially distanced celebrations outdoors with neighbors and friends. The CDC also recommending the idea of using a window fan to keep the air at an indoor party as fresh as possible.
Minnesota meanwhile, ranks 21st among states with a first-dose vaccination rate of 74.8% among eligible people 12 and older as it appears many are continuing to resist getting the vaccine.
