New COVID-19 cases up 94% in two weeks: NYT

The average number of new daily COVID-19 cases has increased by 94% in the past two weeks, according to data from the New York Times, as concerns about epidemics increase nationwide.

The United States recorded a seven-day average of more than 23,000 daily cases on Monday, almost double the average from two weeks ago, as less than half of the total population is fully vaccinated.

Monday’s tally of 32,105 new confirmed cases pushed the seven-day average up from its Sunday level of more than 19,000 new cases, a 60% increase from two weeks earlier.

All but four states – West Virginia, Maine, South Dakota and Iowa – have seen an increase in daily averages over the past 14 days, and the average in 16 states has at least doubled during that time.

It comes as the highly transmissible delta variant was declared the dominant strain in the United States last week.

At the same time, vaccinations have stalled, with the daily rate hitting its lowest point over the course of President BidenJoe BidenPoll: Biden’s Coronavirus Approval Slips 2 Percent Points Overnight Defense: Top US Commander in Afghanistan Leaves | United States sends delegation to Haiti following request for troops | Senate Democrats propose .3B for Pentagon in Capitol Hill security bill Protests escalate US-Cuban tensions MORESunday’s tenure to just over 506,000. Monday saw a slight increase in the average rate to over 527,000 per day, according to Our World in Data.

The rise in the number of cases comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says only 48% of the total population is fully vaccinated. Authorities have said that fully vaccinated people are protected against the virus, while unvaccinated people are at much higher risk of serious illness and death.

That leaves a majority of Americans still vulnerable to the virus, especially children under the age of 12 who are not allowed to be vaccinated. Of the eligible population aged 12 and over, 56.2 percent are fully immunized.

The Biden administration has worked to increase the number of vaccinations in recent months and announced a new popular campaign-driven strategy to promote the vaccine last week. The country failed to meet the president’s goal of getting 70 percent of adults at least one dose by July 4.

The increase in COVID-19 cases has already signaled an upcoming increase in hospitalizations and deaths during the pandemic. Data from The Times shows that the average number of deaths continues to decline, but the average number of daily hospitalizations is rising with a 16% increase from two weeks ago.

Still, the number of cases is far below the devastating peak that hit the United States in January, and experts say the country will no longer reach that level of infection because vulnerable populations have been vaccinated. Seventy-nine percent of people aged 65 and over are considered fully vaccinated.