WASHINGTON, D.C. (KERO) — The Delta variant isn't done. Over the next few weeks, health experts are expecting COVID-19 cases to climb hitting different regions at a time.
"I think by Thanksgiving you'll have seen this move its way through the country," said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner, and Pfizer board member. "The virus isn't going away but prevalence levels will decline to a level that feels more manageable."
But what exactly does manageable mean?
We were seeing a 7-day average of up to 160,000 cases a day at the peak of the surge. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the average is closer to 114,000 new cases a day.
Dr. Gottlieb expects we'll eventually drop down to about 20,000 cases a day. But getting there depends on more people getting vaccinated.
Meanwhile, there is positive news on the vaccine front in the United States.
U.S. health officials say they're confident there's enough supply for both booster shots and for when vaccinations are approved for younger children.
There's currently more than 40 million vaccines available according to officials. At this point, health officials estimate more than 70 million Americans remain unvaccinated.
This week, the U.S. also promised to contribute 500 million more vaccines to help other countries.
