At the start of today’s Covid-19 briefing, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky praised encouraging numbers in the number of new cases, deaths and hospitalizations, but also issued a warning.
“We continue to see trends in the right direction, but the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths remains at a very high level,” said Walensky.
New cases, according to Walensky, have steadily declined over five weeks, with the current seven-day average dropping 74% from its peak on Jan. 11. Today’s seven-day average, Walensky said, is now 66,000 cases per day and is comparable. until the peak of last summer.
In terms of new hospitalizations, the seven-day average of 6,500 today is a 60% drop from a peak on January 9, and is the lowest number of new hospitalizations since last fall.
With 1,900 deaths per day, the seven-day average of deaths is 39% lower than the previous seven-day average, making it the lowest number since early December.
Still, Walensky noted, “This seven-day average is offset by the grim reality that we will exceed half a million Covid-19 deaths in the United States this week, a truly tragic reminder of the enormity of this pandemic and the loss. it has affected our personal lives and our communities. ”
“While the pandemic is moving in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to be done,” she added.