Northeastern states are reporting significant drops in both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, reflecting the continuing decline in the spread of infection as more people get vaccinated. Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island have all reported many fewer cases in recent weeks, reports the New York Times.
In Rhode Island, new infections dropped 48 percent and hospitalizations dropped 23 percent over the past two weeks. “It’s the vaccinations,” Governor Daniel McKee of Rhode Island said. About 57 percent of Rhode Island’s population has received at least one shot and 46 percent of residents are fully vaccinated.
Nationwide, new cases peaked at the beginning of the year: On January 2, the U.S. recorded more than 300,000 cases of infection, a daily record. As the vaccination effort accelerated, cases fell in February and through most of March. A smaller case surge peaked in mid-April but has dropped about 32 percent in the past two weeks, according to the Times.
The U.S. is now averaging 33,213 new coronavirus cases per day. On Sunday, the country reported just 16,864 new coronavirus cases on Sunday — the lowest single-day total in almost a full year, since June 10, 2020. On Monday, White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt tweeted, “It appears that cases are down in all 50 states.” The number of daily vaccinations in the U.S. is also on the rise:
