Three years after the start of the pandemic, hundreds of Americans are still dying from COVID-19 every week.
In the week ending December 9, the last week with complete data, there were 1,614 deaths from COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The last four weeks of complete data show an average of 1,488 weekly deaths.
In comparison, there were 163 weekly deaths from the flu in the week ending December 9, according to CDC data.
Although high, this number of COVID deaths is still lower than the peak of 25,974 deaths recorded in the week ending January 9, 2021, as well as the weekly deaths observed in previous winters, CDC data shows.
Experts interviewed by ABC News said there are several reasons why people may still be dying from the virus that causes COVID-19, including insufficient access to treatments or vaccination, as well as waning immunity.
Few people getting vaccinated
As of January 5, only 19.4% of adults aged 18 and older and 8% of children have received the updated COVID vaccine, CDC data shows. Additionally, only 38% of adults aged 65 and older, who are at greater risk of severe illness, have been vaccinated.
The updated vaccine is targeted against variants related to XBB, a branch of the omicron variant.
Currently, JN.1, a descendant of BA.2.86 – which is a descendant of XBB – accounts for about 61.6% of COVID cases in the U.S., CDC data shows.
Although the CDC has suggested that JN.1 may be more transmissible or better at evading the immune system than other variants, there is no evidence that the available vaccines do not work.
Experts believe there may be a certain level of ‘vaccine fatigue’ in the population, with people thinking they do not need a vaccine after having received the original vaccine and subsequent boosters.
Lack of access to treatments
Treatments for COVID-19 have evolved since the early days of the pandemic with antiviral pills available, especially Pfizer’s Paxlovid.
Paxlovid consists of three pills taken twice a day for five days for people at high risk of severe illness. Initial data from clinical trials showed that Pfizer’s pill reduced the risk of hospitalization and death for unvaccinated patients at risk of severe illness who started treatment three days after symptoms by nearly 90%. More recent studies, including omicron strains of the virus and vaccinated patients, confirmed similar results, showing that treatment halved the risk of hospitalization and death.
But it has been a relatively underutilized treatment, with some reports suggesting that in some states it is prescribed in less than 25% of cases, which may be another reason why deaths have increased.
Doctors may also hesitate to prescribe Paxlovid due to concerns about how the medication interacts with other prescribed medications.
More infections mean more severe illnesses
Another reason for the increase is the simple fact that more people getting sick means more hospitalizations and more deaths, according to experts.
For the elderly or immunocompromised, even a mild case of COVID-19 can result in severe illness and even death.
Experts say the message to the public is the same as in previous phases of the pandemic: recognize that vaccines provide protection, not just against the disease, but also against the severity of the disease.
Source: ABC News