The number of COVID-19 cases is rising again, climbing to an average of 23,600 cases a day.
This number of cases per day has doubled in the last three weeks; this is reportedly due to the fast-spreading delta variant, the lag of vaccination rates, and the recent gatherings this past Fourth of July.
The COVID-19 curve in the U.S. is rising again after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings https://t.co/RL7p2qGYch
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) July 14, 2021
The country is averaging 23,600 COVID-19 cases every day, double than the number of cases last June
According to the data from John Hopkins University, the confirmed infection rate climbed up to an average of 23,600 cases per day. This is a huge increase from the previous 11,300 cases last June 23.
In addition to this, all states except Maine and South Dakota reported that the number of COVID-19 cases went up in the last two weeks.
Dr. Bill Powderly, the co-director of the infectious disease department at the School of Medicine in Washington University, stated that this spike in numbers is not a coincidence.
He added that we are looking at the time when the rise in COVID cases is expected after the Fourth of July weekend.
On the other hand, some parts of the country are going against the deep vaccination resistance; at the same time, the highly contagious delta variant, which was first detected in India, is seeing a large number of infections.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 55.6% of Americans nationally have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Meanwhile, the five states with the highest surge in cases per capita have lower vaccination rates. This includes, Nevada 50.9%, Missouri 45.9%, Utah 49.5%, Arkansas 43%, and Louisiana 39.2%.
The COVID-19 vaccine is shown to be effective in preventing deaths and serious illnesses
Despite the latest surge in coronavirus cases, the country is nowhere near the peak in January of a quarter million cases a day.
COVID-19 related deaths are also running under an average of 260 per day, after topping over 3,400 deaths last winter.
These numbers show the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine, specifically how it can prevent death and serious illnesses for those who become infected.
Yikes. I'm keeping my mask on.
KTLA Los Angeles: L.A. County reports 4th straight day of more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases.https://t.co/UNH6Ne5iha
— Atmosphericblues ☁️ (@atmosphericblue) July 13, 2021
Amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, health authorities in places like St. Louis and Los Angeles County are now begging even vaccinated people to start wearing masks again in public places.
On Tuesday, officials in Chicago announced that unvaccinated individuals from Arkansas and Missouri must either have a negative COVID-19 test result or should quarantine for 10 days.
On the other hand, the health department in Mississippi (that ranked last nationally for COVID-19 vaccination) started blocking posts about coronavirus on its Facebook page, due to the rise of misinformation about the vaccine and the virus.
Officials in Mississippi also recommended people ages 65 and older (and those who have underlying conditions) to stay away from big indoor gatherings due to the 150% increase in hospitalizations in the last three weeks.
