In the past week (December 13 through 19), the U.S. reported about 1.5 million new cases, according to the COVID Tracking Project. This amounts to:
- An average of 211,000 new cases each day
- 451 total new cases for every 100,000 Americans
- 1 in 222 Americans getting diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past week
- 39% of the total cases reported across the globe this week, according to the World Health Organization
Cases appear to be slowing nationwide, the Project’s weekly update reports—but the trend should be interpreted with caution, as many cases reported last week were delayed by the Thanksgiving holiday. And national counts obscure regional patterns: while the Midwest may have finally passed its peak of new cases, the Northeast, South, and West are all facing still-rising outbreaks. California alone reported 287,000 cases this week, and the state’s hospitals are already full.
Last week, America also saw:
- 114,000 people now hospitalized with COVID-19 (35 for every 100,000 people)
- 18,300 new COVID-19 deaths (5.6 for every 100,000 people)
The nation continues to pass its own record for deaths reported in a single week. COVID-19 is, unambiguously, the leading cause of death in the U.S. right now.