U.S. COVID-19 Cases Continue to Fall as Vaccine is Cleared for 12-15 Age Group

The number of coronavirus cases in the country fell even further, with the nationwide average at just about 36,700 per day during the past week, as per data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University. This is the lowest number of average daily cases recorded since September 14 and is about 40% less in comparison to what it was just a month ago and just one-fifth of what the country was facing at the beginning of the year. 

The U.S. is also reporting an average of 2.2 million vaccinations every day over the last few days. The vaccination numbers are expected to see an increase in the next few weeks as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently signed off on the expanded usage of the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccines for children aged 12 to 15. This will clear the way for pediatricians across the country to start immunizing children against the coronavirus. 

That said, the race for herd immunity is still fraught with challenges. Some states have asked the federal government to withhold staggering amounts of vaccines amid reducing demand for shots this week. 

Biden’s goal was to vaccinate at least 70% of the adults in the country with at least one dose by Independence Day. Although over 58% of adults in the country — and 46% of the total population — have received at least one shot of the vaccine and almost 35% of the population is fully vaccinated, the pace of first-dose vaccinations has dropped substantially in the last month. 

States such as North Dakota, Alaska, and Wyoming have seen the weekly first-dose vaccination totals fall by more than 80% in comparison to the best weeks.