Amid a resurgence, the US has registered the highest number of single-day Covid-19 cases since February this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its latest update. According to the update on Saturday, a total of 101,171 new cases were reported across the country on July 30, reports Xinhua news agency.
The new figure brought the seven-day average daily increase of cases to 72,493, also the highest since mid-February.
As of Sunday morning, the country’s overall infection tally has increased to 34,974,823, while the death toll stood at 613,133.
Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are once again increasing in nearly all US states, fueled by the Delta variant, which is much more contagious than past versions of the virus. The current seven-day average of daily new cases increased 64.1 per cent compared with the previous seven-day data, according to the CDC update
The current seven-day average of new hospitalized cases, which stood at 5,475, is a 46.3 per cent increase from the previous week, according to the CDC. The seven-day average for new Covid-19 hospital admissions has consistently increased since June 25.
Meanwhile, the average daily new deaths have also increased 33.3 per cent compared with the previous week, according to the CDC. The recent surge was driven by the Delta variant, which has been and will continue to be the predominant lineage circulating in the country.
The Delta variant has quickly grown from less than 1 per cent of cases in May to more than 80 per cent now, said the CDC on its website. Delta spreads about twice as easily from one person to another than previous strains of the virus, according to the agency. Nationally, the proportion of cases attributed to Delta variant is predicted to increase to 82.2 per cent, according to the CDC.
As Covid-19 infections continue to rise nationwide, the CDC has updated its position on masks, urging vaccinated Americans to resume wearing masks in schools and in public indoor spaces in high risk areas across the country.