Amid the ever-changing pandemic, it can be difficult to draw conclusions from constantly changing data, which is why Becker's has compiled six recent statistics and provided the context for each number.
Six statistics regarding the state of the pandemic in the U.S.:
Total U.S. COVID-19 cases: 29,496,142
Context: The figure, reported at 8:30 p.m. CDT March 16 from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins' coronavirus dashboard, totals out to about 1 in 670 Americans having had COVID-19 at some point. As of March 16, COVID-19 cases in the U.S. account for nearly a quarter of all cases worldwide, or 24.5 percent.
Total U.S. COVID-19 deaths: 535,657
Context: A third of Americans know someone who has died from COVID-19, reports The New York Times. As of March 16, COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. account for more than a fifth of global virus deaths, or 20.1 percent.
U.S. COVID-19 case rate: 57,083 new cases reported March 15, per The New York Times.
Context: As of March 13, The number of new reported cases per day remains nearly as high as the summer record, reports The New York Times. However, daily cases are on the decline, and the average number of new cases per day has dropped more than 75 percent since the Jan. 8 peak.
U.S. COVID-19 death rate: Almost 1,500 Americans are dying from COVID-19 every day as of March 13, reports The New York Times.
Context: That number still exceeds the summer peak, though daily deaths are lower than the initial surge last spring.
Percent of U.S. population fully vaccinated: 11.5 percent
Context: As of March 15, 38,335,432 Americans have received all necessary COVID-19 vaccine doses, per the CDC. Overall, 71,054,445 Americans (21.4 percent) have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. The proportion of the population that must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to reach herd immunity is still not known, according to The World Health Organization and CDC.
Vaccine eligibility: Alaska and Mississippi are currently the only states with eligibility open to all adult residents, with everyone 16 or older eligible in Alaska and residents 18 or older in Mississippi. For a list of each state's eligibility, click here.