Topline
Daily U.S. Covid-19 cases have risen by over 50% in the last two weeks, but hospitalizations remain near pandemic lows, leading White House Covid-19 advisor Dr. Ashish Jha to encourage “care and caution, but not overreacting” in an interview Sunday.
DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 30: COVID Check Colorado site tester Kellen Taylor administers a COVID test at … [+]
Key Facts
The U.S. averaged over 44,000 new coronavirus infections per day in the weeklong period ending Friday, up nearly 53% from two weeks prior, though cases remain well below their January peak, when the country faced over 800,000 daily infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Jha told CNN’s State of the Union Sunday rising Covid-19 infections “mean something different now than they did a year ago,” citing vaccines and new drugs to treat Covid-19.
The U.S. saw roughly 1,600 new Covid-19 hospitalizations per day in the week ending Thursday, up nearly 11% from the week prior but also far below the omicron-fueled January peak, when over 21,000 Covid-19 patients were admitted daily.
Still, Jha said he is “concerned” about the BA.2 omicron subvariant, which makes up nearly 75% of all coronavirus cases in the U.S. as of last week, according to the CDC’s estimates.
Crucial Quote
“Infections are still important. We want to keep those infection numbers low. But they mean something different now than they did a year ago,” Jha told CNN. “I think at this point, responding with care and caution, but not overreacting, is critical.”
Key Background
Nearly 220 million people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the CDC—roughly 66% of the country’s population. A year ago, just 93 million people were fully vaccinated. Nearly 100 million fully vaccinated Americans had also received a booster dose as of Saturday.
Big Number
42. That’s how many U.S. states reported a rise in daily Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks as of Sunday, with just six reporting declines in cases and two reporting no significant change over that period, according to data compiled by the New York Times. Last week, only 32 states had reported two-week increases. Michigan has continued to face the greatest rise in cases, up 184% compared to two weeks ago, while Mississippi has experienced the sharpest decline, with 55% fewer cases compared to 14 days ago.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/04/24/white-house-advisor-calls-for-caution-but-not-overreacting-as-covid-cases-jump-50/