COVID-19 deaths in the United States drop 22% last week

(Reuters) – The United States reported a 22% drop in deaths from COVID-19 last week, as vaccinations accelerated to a record 2.4 million shots per day, according to an analysis by Reuters data from states, counties and CDCs.

As of Sunday, 21% of the American population had received at least one dose of a vaccine, up from 18% a week ago. About 11% received two doses, up from 9%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(Open tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR in an external browser to see the details state by state.)

The number of new COVID-19 cases reported each week has fallen for nine consecutive weeks, dropping 10% to just under 378,000 in the seven days ended March 14. -November.

However, health officials have warned Americans not to let their guard down, signaling a resurgence of infections in several European countries after easing social distancing measures.

“These should be warning signs for all of us. The (American) cases climbed last spring, they climbed again in the summer, they will climb now if we stop taking precautions, ”CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said on Monday.

Air travel hit its highest level since the start of the pandemic on Friday, she said, as warmer weather prompted many to take spring break.

Nineteen out of 50 states reported more new infections last week compared to the previous seven days, up from 13 states the week before, according to Reuters analysis. New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island had the highest rates of new infections per 100,000 people.

The average number of COVID-19 patients in U.S. hospitals fell 13% to 38,000, the lowest since late October, according to a Reuters tally.