U.S. Covid cases rising again as restrictions ease despite benefits from increased vaccinations
As Covid-19 cases rise once again in the United States, the country is also administering vaccinations at a faster pace than ever.
U.S. Covid-19 cases
More than 63,000 daily new Covid-19 cases are being reported in the U.S., based on a seven-day average of Johns Hopkins University data. That figure is up 16% from one week ago.
On Sunday, White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the latest rise in coronavirus cases is not being caused solely by new variants of the virus, and that travel and easing of business restrictions is also a factor in the increase in infections.
“What we’re likely seeing is because of things like spring break and pulling back on the mitigation methods that you’ve seen,” Fauci told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
U.S. Covid-19 deaths
The U.S. is reporting a weekly average of 970 Covid-19 deaths per day, according to Hopkins data. The average daily death toll has been under 1,000 for seven straight days for the first time since November.
U.S. vaccine shots administered
As cases rise, so does the pace of vaccinations. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported three straight days of more than three million vaccine doses administered, including a record of nearly 3.5 million shots reported on March 27.
The seven-day average of vaccine doses administered is now at roughly 2.7 million shots per day.
U.S. share of the population vaccinated
To date, more than 143 million doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the U.S., according to CDC data.
About 28% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, and 15.5% is fully vaccinated.
Of those 65 and older, 72.4% have received one dose and 48.4% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
