Warning: Coronavirus case numbers are climbing again in these 15 states
The overall COVID infection rate in the US has been on a promising trajectory over the past two months. After a record-breaking 300,000 new COVID infections on January 8, the US is now seeing an average of about 63,000 new infections per day, a figure that’s about on par with what we saw back in late October.
Coupled with a more aggressive vaccination rollout, some health experts believe we might see the US achieve herd immunity before summer. To this end, President Joe Biden earlier this week said that the US will have enough vaccine doses for every adult in the country by the end of May. And while Biden’s claim is certainly ambitious, efforts from Pfizer and Moderna to increase their vaccine supply over the next few weeks certainly make it plausible.
In the face of this encouraging news, Dr. Fauci and other health experts have warned that it’s important not to get complacent. Especially with more contagious COVID variants from the UK and South Africa now in the US, a relaxation of COVID safety guidelines could easily spur another round of COVID outbreaks across the country.
Put simply, there’s no guarantee that a declining rate of COVID infections will be permanent. In fact, recent data from The New York Times shows that the COVID infection rate is either holding steady or starting to climb ever so slightly in about 15 areas, a list that includes New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Delaware, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Vermont, Alaska, Washington D.C., South Dakota, and Idaho.
