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2/12

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is optimistic about the country's future regarding the coronavirus pandemic but says getting vaccinated is key.

Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus in the United States have dropped by 14% compared to a week ago, but those numbers are still spiking in southern and mountain states. More than 2,000 Americans die each day due to the virus.

On Tuesday, Denmark became the first country in the European Union to lift all COVID-19 restrictions with the virus no longer considered a "socially critical sickness," according to the government.

Unfortunately, Dr. Murthy does not think that move is realistic in the U.S. any time soon.

"In order to manage this virus, I think what we're going to have to be able to do is dial up and dial down restrictions depending on what the future brings," said Dr. Murthy.

"It's kind of like with the weather," he explained. "Some days there's a lot of rain coming down and then we dress up on those days with not just an umbrella, but we wear a raincoat...and in other days, if there's a light rain, we might just take an umbrella with us. If it's just a sprinkle, we may not wear anything at all."

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The surgeon general urges vaccinations for all who are eligible. Currently, everyone 5 years of age and older is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

On Tuesday, vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech initiated a request for the FDA to authorize their child-sized coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in the U.S. among children age 6 months to up to 5 years.

"There are millions of parents out there who are waiting for an opportunity to get protection for their kids," Dr. Murthy said. "This vaccine could be that protection