Covid-19 deaths in the United States begin to fall in all parts of the country

Photographer: Bing Guan / Bloomberg

Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter on what you need to know, and Subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast for the latest news and analysis.

Covid-19-related deaths have started to decline in all parts of the United States, the latest sign of relief as cases continue to decline and the vaccination campaign accelerates.

The virus has been receding in the United States for about three weeks, but reported deaths – the lagging indicator which is the ultimate measure of Covid’s impact – had remained near record levels.

Now the seven-day average has shown signs of having peaked in all four US Census Bureau regions, even in the late South. The cuts will save states time as they attempt an unprecedented vaccination effort to immunize most of the country’s 330 million people.

The deaths reflect infections that occurred weeks and sometimes months ago, and it is unclear to what extent the change is a result of the vaccination campaign, which has reached less than one tenth Americans. But by directing the shots first at the most vulnerable Americans, including those in nursing homes and those 65 and over, says hope resurgences will be less deadly.

Over the past week, the United States has administered approximately 1.35 million doses of Covid vaccine per day, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracking. 31.8 million doses have been administered nationwide.

The United States reported 116,999 new cases on Sunday, dropping the seven-day average to 151,487, the lowest since November 14, according to Data from Johns Hopkins University. As of early Monday, there had been more than 441,000 reported deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins.

According to data from the Covid Tracking project:

• The number of people currently hospitalized in the United States with Covid-19 has fallen to the lowest since November 29.
• Arizona has the most people hospitalized with the virus per capita.