The rate of new U.S. coronavirus cases remains elevated as the country tries to ramp up its vaccination campaign following the distribution halt of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine.
The country is reporting about 71,200 new Covid cases per day, based on a seven-day average of data from Johns Hopkins University. That is far below the nation’s winter peak but in line with levels seen during the summer surge, when average daily cases topped out at more than 67,000.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows an average of 3.3 million daily vaccine doses reported administered over the past week.
A CDC panel decided Wednesday to postpone a decision on Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine while it investigates the cases of six women developing a blood-clotting disorder.
U.S. vaccine shots administered
Following 2.5 million vaccine doses reported administered Wednesday, the U.S. is averaging 3.3 million daily shots over the past week. That daily average has been above 3 million for eight straight days.
U.S. officials say the pause in use of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine will not slow down the country’s vaccine rollout, noting there is enough supply from Moderna and Pfizer to maintain the current vaccination pace.
About 7.5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been administered in the U.S. out of nearly 195 million total doses, according to CDC data. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have made up the majority of the shots given to Americans thus far.
U.S. share of the population vaccinated
About 37% of the U.S. population has received at least one Covid vaccine shot, and 23.1% is fully vaccinated.
Of those aged 65 and older, about 80% have received one or more doses and 63% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
U.S. Covid cases
The seven-day average of U.S. daily new coronavirus cases is 71,282, according to Johns Hopkins data, up 8% from one week ago.
In Michigan — the state experiencing the worst outbreak in the country on a new cases per capita basis — infection counts keep rising. The state is reporting a seven-day average of nearly 7,900 daily new cases, approaching the state’s pandemic high of more than 8,300 per day recorded in December.
Overall, cases are rising in 33 states and Washington, D.C.
U.S. Covid deaths
The U.S. reported 956 Covid deaths Wednesday, Hopkins data shows, bringing the country’s total pandemic death toll to more than 564,400.
Source: Business - cnbc.com
