Infections edge higher in 24 states as weather turns colder; Britain approves Merck pill for COVID patients: Live updates
COVID-19 infections appear to be creeping higher in about half of U.S. states as winter approaches, suggesting that the nation may not have seen the last of the delta variant surge of the virus that throughout the pandemic has killed more than 750,000 Americans.
Cases rose week-over-week in 24 states in the seven-day period that ended Wednesday, a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data suggests. The rolling average of seven-day case counts nationwide has more or less leveled off around 500,000 over the last 10 days after weeks of broad, steady decline.
It's too soon to know the impact of colder weather as outdoor gatherings wane and people head indoors. Cases are rising, however, primarily in colder states that hadn't been as hard-hit in the worst of the delta wave. They included Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Also in the news:
►New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams told MSNBC he wants to "revisit" the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city workers. Adams said he will encourage Mayor Bill de Blasio to "sit down with the unions" that have resisted the edict.
►Damara Holness, 28, pleaded guilty in Fort Lauderdale federal court to conspiring to commit wire fraud involving $300,000 in COVID relief funds. She is the daughter of Dale Holness, who holds a 12-vote lead following Tuesday’s Democratic primary for a seat in the U.S. House.
►The Maine Health Department is looking for kids age 5 to 17 to create and submit half-minute videos they think will persuade children and parents to get vaccinated. The first-place winner’s school will receive $50,000.
►The Navajo Nation, the country's largest, reported 80 more COVID-19 cases, but no coronavirus-related deaths for the 23rd time in the past 35 days.
📈 Today's numbers:
The U.S. has recorded 46.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 750,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Global totals: More than 248.3 million cases and 5 million deaths. More than 192.9 million Americans – 58.1% of the population – are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
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