COVID-19 unlikely to be eradicated soon though new cases drop: experts

WASHINGTON - COVID-19 is unlikely to be eradicated any time soon, and people still need to be flexible and put on masks and practice physical distancing again if COVID-19 case levels get high in their area, health experts have warned.

New COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline across the United States.

The number of counties with "high" COVID-19 levels dropped from about 1,200 on Feb 24 to 472 on March 3, said a CNN report, citing updated data of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19 community levels.

CDC data showed more than 90 percent of US residents live in a location with low or medium COVID-19 community levels, said the report.

Still, about 35 percent of the US population remains un-fully-vaccinated as of Monday, CDC data showed.

About 3 percent of the US population, around 9 million people, are immunocompromised and vulnerable to severe disease, regardless of where they live, said the CNN report.

"I think it's really important to state that when people look at community transmission levels as being low, that does not mean that it's zero," said epidemiologist Syra Madad, senior director of the system-wide special pathogens program at NYC Health + Hospital.

She said that in areas considered to have high COVID-19 community levels, people need to take the usual pandemic precautions. In areas at low or medium levels, masks and physical distance practices may be safely dropped only for some, not all people.