In the past week (February 7 through 13), the U.S. reported about 656,000 new cases, according to the COVID Tracking Project. This amounts to:
- An average of 94,000 new cases each day
- 200 total new cases for every 100,000 Americans
- 1 in 501 Americans getting diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past week
The 7-day average for new cases was under 100,000 this week for the first time since October—but it’s still far above the records that America set during our spring and summer surges.
Last week, America also saw:
- 69,300 people now hospitalized with COVID-19 (21 for every 100,000 people)
- 21,800 new COVID-19 deaths (6.6 for every 100,000 people)
- An average of 1.64 million vaccinations per day (per Bloomberg)
This past week, fewer Americans died of COVID-19 than any previous week in 2021, according to the COVID Tracking Project. In White House briefings this week, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that it will take a unified effort for us to continue this trend, especially as coronavirus variants pose an increased threat.
Nearly 1,000 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant (which originated in the U.K.) have been reported in the US as of February 11. Though the U.S. has increased our genomic sequencing efforts by about tenfold in the past three weeks, this number is still likely a significant undercount.
“We must continue to take action,” Dr. Walensky said on Wednesday—stressing the importance of wearing masks (yes, two masks at once!), physically distancing, and washing your hands.