The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged unvaccinated Americans to not travel this Labor Day holiday weekend. The US is currently dealing with an average of 160000 new COVID cases daily according to John Hopkins University.
Health officials want everyone to be extra cautious if they are traveling this Labor Day holiday weekend. Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a White House COVID19 Response Team Briefing on Tuesday that “First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling”. However, given the rise of breakthrough infections, even fully vaccinated individuals should be cautious. With the current transmission rates, even fully vaccinated individuals should weigh the risks.
The health agency reminded the public that vaccines still offer the best protection from the virus. CDC’s vaccine adviser said that the hospitalization rate for the unvaccinated population is 16 times greater than those who are vaccinated. According to the CDC, 38.6% of those eligible for vaccinations are not yet fully vaccinated.
Overwhelmed Medical Facilities
US hospitals are now dealing with high admission numbers. In Idaho, Governor Brad Little announced that recent hospitalizations were something that they “have not seen before”. There are more Idahoans in ICUs since the pandemic started. Governor Little also said that majority are unvaccinated.
He said that “Yesterday evening I toured a nearly full ICU wing in Boise. What I saw was heartbreaking”.
Another growing concern today is the number of children testing positive. The American Academy of Pediatrics reported 200,000 children tested positive last week. The CDC also recorded an average of 330 children admissions from August 20 to 26.
Travel Demand for Labor Day Holiday Weekend
The numbers indicate fewer travelers for this Labor Day Holiday weekend. As of August 21, spending decreased by 16% compared to 2019’s numbers according to Adobe Digital Economy Index.
This lines up with airline concerns that the variant is slowing down its road to recovery. Southwest Airlines announced that it is going to have a difficult time making a profit for the third quarter. On the other hand, American Airlines said that their August revenue performed lower than expected.
