US COVID-19 cases on the rise again, doubling in 3 weeks; delta variant, vaccine reluctance to blame

The COVID-19 curve in the United States is rising again after months of decline, as the number of new cases per day has doubled in the past three weeks, due to the rapidly spreading delta variant, late vaccination rates and rallies on July 4th.

Confirmed infections reached an average of around 23,600 per day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. And all but two states – Maine and South Dakota – have reported that the number of cases has increased in the past two weeks.

“It is certainly no coincidence that we are looking at exactly when we expect cases to arise after the weekend of July 4,” said Dr Bill Powderly, co-director of the division of infectious diseases at Washington University School of Medicine. in Saint-Louis.

At the same time, parts of the country are facing deep resistance to vaccines, while the highly contagious mutant version of the coronavirus that was first detected in India accounts for an ever-increasing share of infections.

Nationally, 55.6% of all Americans have received at least one injection of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The five states with the largest two-week jump in per capita cases all had lower vaccination rates: Missouri, 45.9%; Arkansas, 43%; Nevada, 50.9%; Louisiana, 39.2%; and Utah, 49.5%.

Even with the latest increase, cases in the United States are nowhere near their peak of a quarter of a million per day in January. And deaths are less than 260 per day on average after reaching over 3,400 over the winter – a testament to how well the vaccine can prevent serious illness and death in those who are infected.

Yet amid the rise, health officials in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis are even begging those with immunity to resume wearing masks in public. And Chicago officials announced Tuesday that unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas must either self-quarantine for 10 days or test negative for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the Mississippi Department of Health, which ranks dead last nationally for vaccinations, has started blocking COVID-19 posts on its Facebook page due to a “rise in disinformation” about virus and vaccine.

Mississippi officials also recommend that people 65 and older and those with chronic underlying illnesses stay away from large indoor gatherings due to a 150% increase in hospitalizations in the past three weeks. .

In Louisiana, which also has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, New Orleans city officials said Tuesday they would be likely to extend mitigation efforts until the fall. of the virus currently in place at large sports and entertainment gatherings, including warrants or mask requirements that attendees be vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test. State health officials said coronavirus cases were on the rise, largely among those unvaccinated.

But the political will may not be there in many states tired by months of restrictions.

In Michigan, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer faces a push to repeal a law she used to impose major restrictions at the start of the pandemic.

And Republican Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama has pushed back against the idea that the state may need to reimpose preventative measures as vaccinations delay and hospitalizations increase.

“Alabama is OPEN for business. Vaccines are readily available and I encourage people to get one. The state of emergency and health orders have expired. We are moving forward,” she said on social networks.

Dr James Lawler, head of the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, said returning masks and limiting gatherings would help. But he acknowledged that most of the places with the highest virus rates “are exactly the parts of the country that don’t want to do any of these things.”

Lawler warned that what is happening in Britain is a preview of what is to come in the United States

“Descriptions of the parts of the world where the delta variant took hold and became the predominant virus are pictures of intensive care units full of 30 years old. This is what intensive care doctors describe and it is. what is happening in the United States, ”he said. .

He added: “I think people have no idea what’s about to hit us.”

President Joe Biden is putting a dose of star power behind the administration’s efforts to get young people vaccinated. 18-year-old actress, singer and songwriter Olivia Rodrigo will meet Biden and Dr Anthony Fauci on Wednesday.

While the administration has been successful in vaccinating older Americans, young adults have shown less urgency in getting vaccinated.

Some, at least, are answering the call in Missouri after weeks of begging, said Erik Frederick, executive director of Mercy Hospital Springfield. He tweeted that the number of people vaccinated at his vaccination clinic has increased from 150 to 250 per day.

“It gives me hope,” he said.

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Associated Press writers Leah Willingham in Jackson, Mississippi; Ed White in Detroit; Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Alabama; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; Kevin McGill in New Orleans; and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.