COVID-19 Cases in U.S. Fall for Fifth Week, Below 100,000
 |
| COVID-19 Cases in U.S. Fall for Fifth Week, Below 100,000 |
The average number of daily new coronavirus cases in the U.S. has dropped below 100,000 for the first time in months, according to AP.
Daily counts fell under 100,000 last week and continue to drop, with 55,000 reported on Monday, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. Cases were last below 100,000 in early November and peaked at 300,000 per day in early January.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have also dropped from a high of 132,000 on Jan. 6 to 65,000 on Monday, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project. Deaths are declining as well, but still remain high, with a 7-day average of about 2,500 daily. The highest point was around 3,500 in mid-January.
The country logged more than 639,000 new COVID-19 cases in the week ended Feb. 14, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county reports. Compared to the previous week, new cases increased in only three out of 50 states: Alaska, Nebraska and South Dakota.
Deaths fell for a second week in a row, down 1.8% last week to 21,787. Excluding a backlog of deaths reported by Ohio, fatalities were down 15% last week. Cumulatively, nearly 486,000 people have died from the virus in the United States, or one in every 673 residents.
The average number of COVID-19 patients in U.S. hospitals fell to 74,000 last week, the lowest since mid-November, according to a Reuters analysis of data from the volunteer-run COVID Tracking Project.
Nationally, 5.7% of COVID-19 tests came back positive for the virus, the lowest level since the week ended Oct. 25, according to data from the COVID Tracking Project.
The U.S. has distributed 70 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, and 38.3 million people have received the first dose of the two-shot vaccine, according to a CDC update from Sunday. More than 14 million people have received their second dose.
