As the more transmissive Delta variant driving increases in cases and hospitalizations, the total number of people infected with the deadly coronavirus in the United States touched the bleak 50 million mark on Monday.
The infection level of the pandemic was so aggressive in the United States that this number was reached within two years of the first confirmed case was reported in the country in January 2020.
According to the latest data collected by Johns Hopkins University, the national total has reached 50,119,437, with the addition of 198017 new cases in the last 24 hours.
With 1364 additional casualties, the total Covid death toll has risen to 798,713.
Daily coronavirus infections climbed by a whopping 49 percent and Covid fatalities by 40 percent in two weeks, the New York Times reports.
Covid hospitalizations are up 22 percent from a fortnight ago. 665,47 people are currently hospitalized due to the viral infection.
The current seven-day daily average of cases is about 118,500 cases per day, and the seven-day average of daily deaths is about 1,100 per day.
The seven-day average of hospital admissions is about 7,400 cases per day.
More than 40 million people in the country have recovered from the disease.
Meanwhile, CDC released the first MMWR report that details the characteristics of the first 43 confirmed Omicron cases in the United States.
More than half of the infected persons were between the age of 18 and 39 and about one third reported international travel before they were diagnosed.
“In reported cases, most people experienced only mild symptoms, which is what we would expect from a group of fully vaccinated individuals,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a routine briefing.
“We should remember that, still, over 99 percent of cases in the country right now are caused by the Delta variant, which is driving increases in cases and hospitalizations. Vaccination with a primary series and boosting with an additional dose for those who are eligible will keep people out of the hospital and save lives,” she told reporters.
The CDC chief said 1.1 million Americans are being administered booster shots every day — more people boosted per day than ever before.
CDC recommended that 16- and 17-year-olds are now eligible for a booster.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only authorized and recommended COVID vaccine for people in this age group. They can go for a booster shot six months after completing their primary Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination series.
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