The U.S. new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has slowed, with the number of deaths falling last week to the lowest level in nearly 14 months and the number of new cases falling for the fifth consecutive week. Pictured are musicians from the New York Philharmonic performing outside on May 15, 2021. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
Deaths from the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States fell last week to the lowest level in nearly 14 months and the number of new cases fell for five consecutive weeks, indicating a gradual slowdown in the outbreak, according to a Reuters analysis.
From May 10 to 16, the total number of deaths in the U.S. totaled 4,165, the lowest single-week death toll since March 2020, which equates to an average of about 600 illnesses per day, well below the peak of more than 3,000 per day in January when the outbreak was severe.
In addition, new cases fell by about 20 percent last week to 233,000, the lowest since last June.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 37.3 percent of the nation’s population is now fully vaccinated and 47.5 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine, or 59.8 percent if we look at adults over 18 years old alone. However, the rate of vaccination has slowed for four consecutive weeks.
In particular, New Hampshire leads the nation with 85% of residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine, followed by Vermont at 65% and Massachusetts at 62%.
Nationally, the average number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals declined by 12 percent, the fourth consecutive week of decline.
As the epidemic eases, more state and federal agencies are easing restrictions on outbreaks and setting timelines for reopening office buildings in the coming weeks.
JPMorgan Chase also began opening offices around the country from Monday, and the U.S. financial giant said it intends to have employees back at work across the U.S. by early July.
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