US Covid-19 Cases Reach Highest Average Since January
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New Covid-19 cases this week have hit the highest number since January, according to health data.
The 7-day average of cases hit 164,000 this week, the highest average since Jan. 26, at the tail-end of the devastating winter surge.
Maine experienced the greatest increase in a rolling 7-day average of new cases as of Thursday, according to tracking data compiled by The Washington Post. The state saw new cases rise by a whopping 55 percent, with 5,722 reported infections per 100,000 residents. States that rounded out the top five included Ohio, with a 46 percent week-over-week increase, along with Idaho (43 percent), West Virginia (40 percent), and Alabama (37 percent).
The top states contributed significantly to a rising caseload for the country, which saw new infections in all 50 states rise by an average of 9 percent, or an average of 164,386 each day. New cases peaked in January at an average of 251,000 per day.
January’s surge in new infections came before Covid-19 vaccines became widely available, a contrast with this month, which has seen new infections surge as a result of the Delta variant of the virus. A July study by Israeli researchers found the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was effective against the Delta variant just 39 percent of the time, while a different study published in the New England Journal of Medicine produced a different conclusion, finding it was 80 percent effective.
It remains to be seen whether the death toll stemming from the virus will rise at a corresponding rate. That figure peaked at more than 3,000 daily in January, including six days where it topped 4,000. As of Thursday, the number stood at 1,403. Deaths lag new infection counts by several weeks.
A total of 101,050 Americans were hospitalized with Covid-19 as of Thursday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. That compared to 107,266 in the final week of January.
The data also notably indicated that Florida — which has been at the center of national attention as a result of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) opposition to face masks, among other Covid-19 measures — saw cases dip this week by 8 percent, to an average of 15,223 per 100,000 residents. Just two states saw a greater week-over-week decline. Those were Mississippi (11 percent) and Louisiana (36 percent).
