According to Johns Hopkins University, the United States has passed the 40 million mark in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.
The university’s coronavirus resource center says American deaths are approaching 650,000. There have been over 221 million cases and 4.5 million deaths worldwide.
The United States seven-day average was at 137,270 cases per day on Monday. That dwarfs the average of 39,355 cases per day seen last Labor Day. The daily case average is also more than 12 times higher than at the start of the summer, according to John Hopkins.
Hospitalizations and daily Covid-19 deaths also have risen lately. More than 99,800 Covid-19 patients were in U.S. hospitals on Monday. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that’s significantly higher than June 29, when the country saw a 2021 low of 16,152.
On CNN, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said where United States cases go from here is “up to us”.
“We have 75 million people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who are not yet vaccinated. If we get the overwhelming majority of (these people) vaccinated, we could turn this around even as we go into the cooler weather of the fall,” Dr. Fauci said.
Last week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky advised unvaccinated Americans not to travel for the holiday.
“We have actually articulated that people who are fully vaccinated and who are wearing masks can travel, although given where we are with disease transmission right now, we would say that people need to take these risks into their own consideration as they think about traveling,” Dr. Walensky said.
CNN reported Tuesday President Joe Biden is set to deliver a major address on the next phase of his pandemic response this week. Sources tell CNN while officials were still finalizing specifics, the speech will have multiple components related to schools, private companies and requirements for federal employees.
