New cases of coronavirus in the U.S. rose for the third week in a row even as vaccinations continue to ramp up across the country.
Infections rose five percent to more than 450,000 last week, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.
On Monday, health officials recorded 79,075 – the fourth time in the last two weeks that daily cases have nearly hit or surpassed 80,000.
What’s more, nearly half of U.S. states, 23 in total, are reporting an increase in new cases, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Meanwhile, deaths remain low with 607 reported on Monday and a seven-day rolling average of about 783, the lowest figure recorded since October 28, the analysis found.
It comes as Michigan reported a record number of coronavirus cases about one month after relaxing restrictions and Nebraska recorded the highest number of infections in almost two months.
New coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose for the third straight week, increasing by 5% to a weekly total of more than 450,000
On Monday, 79,075 infections were recorded – the fourth time in the last two weeks that daily cases have nearly hit or surpassed 80,000
Currently, almost half of U.S. states – a total of 23 – are reporting a rise in cases, according to Johns Hopkins data
US deaths remain low with 607 reported on Monday and a seven-day rolling average of about 783, the lowest figure recorded since October 28
In additions to rising cases, hospitalizations are also increasing.
The average number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals rose four percent to more than 37,000 in the week ended April 4, breaking a streak of 11 weeks of falling admissions, Reuters found.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), infections among young people may be behind the surge.
‘As we’ve been working with states and understanding their individual outbreaks among younger people,’ Walensky said. ‘I want to underscore that this is among 18 to 24-year-olds where we’re seeing peaks in cases.’
In particular, states in the Midwest are seeing the hardest of the brunt, including Michigan.
On Monday, Michigan reported a record number of coronavirus cases to top the daily tally among U.S. states.
Officials recorded 11,082 COVID-19 cases, surpassing a previous daily peak of 10,140 hit on November 20 and bringing the total case load to 779,974.
This makes The Great Lake State the only state to report more than 7,000 new infections on Monday.
Michigan is currently the worst affected U.S. state in terms of new cases and hospitalizations per 100,000 people in the week to April 5.
Following a slew of other states, Michigan began loosening restrictions around gatherings by increasing the capacity of gyms, restaurants, pubs, retail stores and entertainment venues in March.
Around the time when restrictions were eased, the state reported about 1,800 new infections a day. In the seven days to April 5, the average has surged to over 6,700 cases a day.
The relaxations are set to last until April 19.
On Monday, Michigan recorded a record-high 11,082 COVID-19 cases, surpassing a previous daily peak of 10,140 on November 20
In Nebraska, the seven-day rolling average has also risen 114% over the last two weeks from 243 cases per day on March 21 to 522 on April 4
Data in Alaska show a 57% increase in the seven-day rolling average from 140 per day on March 21 to 220 per day on April 4
Michigan is not the only state seeing a rise in cases. In Nebraska, officials recently recorded more than 1,300 cases, the highest figure since February 13.
The seven-day rolling average has also risen exponentially over the past two weeks from 243 cases per day on March 21 to 522 on April 4, according to Johns Hopkins data.
That represents a 114 percent increase.
Additionally, according to state data, the number of people hospitalized with the virus has risen xx percent from 113 on March 21 to 148 on April 5.
And the number of people hospitalized with the virus in the state has crept up to 148 over the past week after bottoming out at 102 on March 29.
Governor Pete Ricketts attributed the increase to a mix of the state backdating new cases and a rise in variants, particularly the UK variant known as B.1.1.7.
‘One is probably the variants which we know are more transmissible so that is probably part of it,’ Ricketts said during a news conference on Monday.
‘The other thing that we know is we are picking up more codes to capture more of the testing and more of the positives.’
States in the west are also seeing a rise in cases, such as Alaska.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases has risen 57 percent over two weeks rom 140 per day on March 21 to 220 per day on April 4, data from Johns Hopkins show.
Current case count sit at about 20 per 100,000 people.
Officials say the pace of vaccinations are slowing down, even though eligibility is open to those aged 16 and older.
‘This is the crux of where we’re at right now with this pandemic. We need to get people vaccinated,’ state epidemiologist Dr Joe McLaughlin told the Anchorage Daily News.
An average of about three million U.S. adultsare being vaccinated every day, with single-day totals reaching four million over the weekend
According to the CDC, 107.5 million Americans – 32.4% of the population – have received at least one dose and 62.3 million – 18.8% – have received at least both doses
According to the CDC, 107.5 million Americans – 32.4 percent of the population – have received at least one dose and 62.3 million – 18.8 percent – have received at least both doses.
An average of about three million adults are being vaccinated every day, with single-day totals reaching four million over the weekend.
It comes as President Joe Biden is set to announce Tuesday that he is updating the deadline for states to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines to April 19, two weeks earlier than the original May 1 deadline.
The commander-in-chief is also expected to announced that more than 150 million doses have been administered since Inauguration Day, January 20th.
This means the country is on track to meet Biden’s new goal of 200 million shots in arms by his 100th day in office, April 30, after an original goal of 100 million shots by the end of his first 100 days.
