The
pandemic's end is in sight -- but right now, the US is in a critical spot. A highly contagious -- and potentially more deadly -- coronavirus variant is spreading across the US, threatening to send infection numbers spiking once again. Meanwhile, the number of vaccines administered across the country is growing, as officials work to get as many shots into arms as possible in hopes of soon being able to suppress the spread of the virus.
It's a "neck and neck" race between the two, one expert says.
"This is crunch time," Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN on Saturday. "This is going to be our most difficult period right now in terms of seeing who wins out."
With less than a quarter of all Americans having received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine -- and only about 13% fully vaccinated -- doubling down on safety measures now is what could help curb another surge, experts have repeatedly stressed.
