After weeks of sharp increases, there are some signs that new coronavirus cases in the United States may be plateauing at a high daily rate.
After weeks of sharp increases, there are some signs that new coronavirus cases in the United States may be plateauing at a high daily rate. Nationally, the seven-day daily average of new confirmed cases was just under 66,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That is still a startlingly high number of infections, but it’s the lowest it has been in the US in 10 days. The trend can be seen more clearly in new case totals in Arizona, Texas and Florida. In these states, which reopened without effective safety protocols and saw rapid case spread since June, new cases have flattened or slightly decreased recently. The 7-day average of new confirmed coronavirus cases has flattened or slightly decreased in Texas, Arizona and Florida recently. The flattening trends generally coincide with decisions made by states last month to roll back reopenings and close bars, which had been hotbeds of coronavirus spread, particularly among young people. Texas also instituted a mask-wearing requirement in early July. It’s too early to say whether these trends will last. Across the country,22 states saw increases in new cases over the past week compared to the week prior,20 states have been steady, and eight states saw decreases. Read More White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said Friday there was evidence of plateau in several major states. More of CNN’s coronavirus coverage Map: Where your state stands on flattening the curveGuide: 10 key Covid-19 symptomsVideo: Trump’s virus briefings are back. So is the dishonestyReturning to work: What health experts want you to knowQ&A: Why are cases soaring while deaths decrease? Summer 2020: 100 things to do Speaking on NBC’s “Today” show, Birx said, “We’re already starting to see some plateauing in these critical four states that have suffered under the last four weeks. So Texas, California, Arizona and Florida, those major metros and throughout their counties.” Despite the possible plateau, the national seven-day average of deaths, which generally trails weeks behind cases and hospitalizations, is starting to increase. Meanwhile, the seven-day average of hospitalizations remains at a level on par with April and has not increased substantially in the past week. However, the Covid Tracking Project, which CNN uses for hospitalization numbers, has indicated some states are seeing issues related to the CDC-HHS handover, which may be keeping hospital numbers down. Hospital data on coronavirus patients is now going to the Trump administration instead of first being sent to the CDC. The Johns Hopkins University data on total confirmed cases comes from individual counties and states and so is not be effected by the change. Overall, the US accounts for about a quarter of the world’s cases and deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
