New cases of COVID-19 are down 90% from the peak, with under 75,000 new cases reported last week across the U.S.

"What we're observing is a pretty dramatic suppression of cases," explains Dr. Gregory Poland, head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "This is good news, but we need to be cautious."

Dr. Poland warns that there are still people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, including people who are immunocompromised; children under 5 who cannot yet be protected by COVID-19 vaccination; and the more than 30% of the U.S. population that is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 tracking tool data.

"'I'm as weary of COVID-19 as everybody else," says Dr. Poland. "But we still need to take this seriously."

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland discusses the latest COVID-19 news, including new COVID-19 vaccines coming for approval; the latest on long COVID; and his recent commentary with his colleague, Dr. Richard Kennedy, a Mayo Clinic internist, on the need for more research infrastructure and research funding in order to maintain public confidence in vaccines.

Watch: Dr. Poland discusses COVID-19.

Read the full transcript.

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For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date. 

Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

Learn more about tracking COVID-19 and COVID-19 trends.

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