U.S. public health caution clashes with vaccine optimism, eased restrictions

WASHINGTON — The United States is at a COVID-19 crossroads — and public health officials are worried about which path it will choose.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, is urging Americans not to let their guard down.

For a second straight day, Walensky is warning about the potential for highly contagious COVID-19 variants to undo the country’s hard-won progress.

Her message is competing with a torrent of seemingly good news.

President Joe Biden says the U.S. will have enough COVID-19 vaccine doses in stock for every adult American by the end of May.

And a number of states are easing their pandemic restrictions, most recently Texas, which is planning to reopen completely by next Wednesday.