US COVID Cases Cross 30 Million

The number of people infected with coronavirus crossed the dismal landmark of 30 million in the United States, where new cases and deaths due to the disease sharply increased on Wednesday.

With 79440 new cases reporting, the number of people infected with coronavirus in the country has risen to 30010933, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University. The previous seven day’s average was 57322.

1591 people died during the same period, taking the national total to 545281. This is higher than the 7-day average of 1060.

New York and California together – 505 – accounted for nearly one third of these deaths, while more than quarter of Wednesday’s cases – 20184 – was reported in New York alone. It is a 400 percent surge from recent months in the state.

The most recent seven-day average of new hospitalizations is about 4,600 per day.

Giving an update on the federal vaccination rollout, White House Senior Advisor for COVID Response Andy Slavitt said a total of 84 million people have received at least one vaccination dose in the U.S., which is one in three adults in the country. Out of this, 45 million people have been fully vaccinated.

70 percent of Americans aged 65 and above have now received at least one vaccine shot. This is significantly higher when compared to seven weeks ago when only 8 percent of seniors had received a single shot.

“We are now vaccinating between 16 and 20 million people a week,” she told reporters at a White House briefing.

At the Department of Education’s National Safe School Reopening Summit, President Joe Biden announced that $81 billion in American Rescue Plan funds will be made available to all 50 states to support their efforts to safely return to in-person instruction in schools this spring.

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