Differences in access to booster vaccines and antiviral pills have also put some Americans at higher risk. Blacks and Hispanics eligible for reinforcements have received lower fire rates than whites, reflecting what some epidemiologists describe as limited efforts in some states to place reinforcements nearby. Patients who do not have primary care physicians or who live away from pharmacies may also find it difficult to take antiviral pills. The number of patients being treated with Covid continues to rise nationwide, making it likely that there will be gradual increases in deaths, epidemiologists said. It is not clear how hard the wave will hit less vaccinated areas, such as the South, where immunity to past infections has also increased. “Unfortunately, vaccination rates in many southern states are among the lowest in the country,” said Jason Salemi, a professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida. “But there is definitely a lot of immunity that has been created through a previous infection.” Although fewer cases become fatal, the unprecedented number of infections this winter and spring has in itself created significant problems. In the United States, one in five adult Covid survivors under the age of 65 has experienced some form of long-term Covid, according to a recent study. Many people lost their jobs, including doctors, whose absences this spring periodically put pressure on hospitals that already had staffing problems. Dr Karan, from Stanford, said he had prolonged symptoms from a January match with Covid until April. A month later, he became infected again. As of last week, he said, with the wave of sub-variables hitting California, his team of five doctors at one of the hospitals where he works had been reduced to two due to Covid’s absences, forcing delays in consultations for some patients.
