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Coronavirus Watch: Weekly new infections again surpass 600K

Grace Hauck   | Paste BN

America's recovery from the delta variant surge dropped the pace of new infections to under 500,000 per week in late October.

Now, cases are above 600,000 per week and are rising in 34 states, a Paste BN analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. 

Reporter Mike Stucka found that the numbers are not close to January, when weekly infections peaked at 1.7 million. But the recovery from one wave has reversed into another.

It's Thursday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:

  • By the end of today, the FDA is expected to authorize COVID-19 booster shots for anyone who wants one and is at least six months past their initial vaccination.
  • Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the Department of Defense was sending two emergency medical teams to help front-line workers in the state combat rising COVID-19 cases. "Our hospitals are filling up and need help," Walz wrote on Twitter.
  • The U.S. government said it will pay Pfizer $5.29 billion for 10 million treatments of its experimental COVID-19 drug if regulators approve it.
  • Florida lawmakers have approved measures aimed at blocking any kind of vaccine or test mandates.
  • Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee released a video trying to persuade officers to join the Tennessee Highway Patrol because it doesn't have any coronavirus-related mandates.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 47.4 million COVID-19 cases and 767,400 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 255.2 million cases and more than 5.1 million deaths. About 69% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 59% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 82% have received at least one shot, and about 71% are fully vaccinated.

Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck

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