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 New cases fell as much as 25% in the week ended Feb. 7 and 23% in
the week ended Feb. 21, before plateauing last week, according to a
Reuters analysis of U.S. state and county reports.
The country logged an average of over 68,000 new cases per day for
the week ended Feb. 28, with deaths averaging at 2,055 per day.
(Open https://tmsnrt.rs/2WTOZDR in an external browser to see a
related graphic with state-by-state details.)
"I remain deeply concerned about a potential shift in the trajectory
of the pandemic. The latest CDC data continue to suggest that recent
declines in cases have leveled off at a very high number," said Dr.
Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
Walensky said she was alarmed by some local governments rolling back
restrictions on masks and social distancing just as more infectious
variants of the virus are spreading. "We stand to completely lose
the hard-earned ground we have gained," she said.
Twenty-nine out of 50 states reported more new infections last week
compared to the previous seven days, whereas only seven states in
the prior week reported weekly increases, according to the Reuters
analysis.
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 New York had the highest number
of new cases per 100,000 residents last week,
followed by New Jersey and South Carolina.
As of Sunday, 15% of the U.S. population has
received at least one dose of a vaccine and 7.5%
has received two doses, according to the CDC.
The country administered an average of 1.6
million shots per day last week.
Deaths linked to COVID-19 rose 5.5% in the week
ended Feb. 28 to 14,387. Cumulatively, over
513,000 people have died from the virus in the
United States, or one in every 636 residents.
The average number of COVID-19 patients in U.S.
hospitals fell 15% to 52,000 last week, the
lowest since early November, according to a
Reuters tally.
(Graphic by Chris Canipe, writing by Lisa
Shumaker, editing by Tiffany Wu)
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