US infection rate falls 40% in past month
The U.S. is now averaging about 40,000 new coronavirus cases per day, down more than 40% from less than a month ago and just one-fifth of what the nation was facing at the start of the year.
But the race for herd immunity that could help put the pandemic in the nation’s rearview mirror is not going smoothly. Some states want the federal government to withhold staggering amounts of vaccine this week amid plummeting demand for shots.
More than 58% of U.S. adults, and 46% of the population, has received at least one shot, and nearly 35% of the country is fully vaccinated. But the pace of first-dose vaccinations has fallen 60% in just the last month, a USA TODAY analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.
The U.S. reported administering fewer than 5.1 million first doses in the week ending Sunday, down from 12.3 million first doses in the week ending a month earlier. States such as Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming have seen weekly firstdose vaccination totals drop more than 80% compared with their best weeks.
Fauci: Masks may become seasonal
White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci says it’s about time to start relaxing indoor mask requirements. “I think so,” he said when asked on ABC News. “I think you’re going to probably be seeing that as we go along, and as more people get vaccinated.”
Fauci also said wearing masks could become a seasonal habit for some people trying to avoid respiratory diseases such as the flu. And he predicted that the U.S. will reach President Joe Biden’s goal of 70% vaccination for adults by Independence Day. As vaccinations increase, even at a slower rate, and new cases fall, the CDC will be updating its guidance, Fauci said.
“We do need to start being more liberal as we get more people vaccinated,” he added.
New York sees low positivity test rate
New York state’s positivity rate fell to its lowest level since before Halloween, and new cases fell 26% last week compared with the prior week, state and federal records show. New York added 17,578 new COVID-19 cases in the week ending Sunday, a drop of 6,177 cases from the previous week. New York ranked 19th among the states in the rate of coronavirus transmission on a per-person basis, Johns Hopkins University data showed.
At one point, New York was one of the world’s leading hot spots for COVID-19. More than 2 million people in the state have tested positive for the coronavirus and 52,688 people have died from COVID-19, the second in the nation most behind California.
On May 19, New York plans to end most capacity limits on restaurants and venues, requiring them to only limit occupancy based on social distancing guidelines.
Other top headlines
• Organizers of a New Orleans vaccination event on Thursday will offer a free shot – and a free pound of boiled crawfish.
• Publix pharmacies are now accepting walk-ins for the COVID-19 vaccine at all locations across seven states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
• The number of days working-age Germans called in sick during the first three months of 2021 hit a 13-year low as hygiene and distancing rules prevented the spread of other illnesses, a major insurer says.
• Variant infections boomed in Florida following spring break, making Florida home to the most coronavirus variant cases in the nation, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported based on data from the Florida Department of Health.
• Israel and Seychelles, an Indian Ocean island nation of fewer than 100,000, are the only nations that have fully vaccinated more than half their population, according to Our World in Data. The United Kingdom is among a small number that have partially vaccinated more than half their populations.