The number of COVID-19 infections in the United States has risen alarmingly in the last 24 hours, with over 100,000 cases recorded.
According to Reuters statistics through Wednesday, the seven-day average of newly reported cases hit almost 95,000, a five-fold rise in less than a month.
According to White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients, seven US states with among the lowest COVID-19 immunization rates – Florida, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi – account for half of the country’s new cases and hospitalizations in the past week.
“We’re seeing terrifying #COVID19 trends in our hospitals,” County Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote on Twitter. She is the top official of Harris County, the most populous county in Texas and home to the city of Houston. “At this point, if you’re unvaccinated by choice, you’re complicit in this crisis.”
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease specialist, the US government will provide booster injections to Americans with weakened immune systems. He had warned a day before that the variation might cause instances to treble to 200,000 every day in the following weeks.
Despite the Globe Health Organization’s appeal to wait until more people across the world can receive their first shot, the United States is following Germany, France, and Israel in providing booster doses.
According to statistics from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Florida, which has emerged as a hotspot of new infections, established yet another dismal hospitalization record on Thursday, with 12,373 beds filled by COVID-19 patients (HHS).
In Florida, more children are hospitalized with the virus than in any other state in the United States. According to a Reuters count, Louisiana and Arkansas are also dealing with record or near-record levels of coronavirus patients occupying beds.
In other news, Virginia became the third state, after California and New York, to require all state workers to get vaccinations or undergo weekly testing. In New Jersey, vaccinations are only mandatory for certain government workers.
Cases were still increasing in Los Angeles County, but they seemed to be leveling down following a significant spike last week, according to health director Barbara Ferrer.
Because of the rising number of infections, more private-sector businesses are requiring vaccinations for their employees and consumers, and some have postponed workers’ return to work.
Amazon.com, which had planned to reopen on Sept. 7, announced on Thursday that it would not expect US corporate workers to return until next year.
