Daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. have jumped 111 percent over the last two weeks, with an average of 26,513 new infections reported per day, according to The New York Times.
Seven things to know:
1. Case numbers are climbing across most of the U.S., with the Times reporting "full-fledged outbreaks" in Arkansas, Missouri, Florida and Nevada — states with relatively low vaccination rates. Both cases and hospitalization rates are rising in all four states; Arkansas is reporting a 154 percent case increase over the last two weeks, while Missouri has seen a 79 percent jump, Florida a 219 percent rise, and cases in Nevada have increased 41 percent. All four states have reported more than 100 new daily cases per 100,000 people in the last week, reports the CDC. The Times attributes these outbreaks to the rapid spread of the coronavirus delta variant, first identified in India, among unvaccinated Americans.
2. Though new COVID-19 cases are rising in most states, the rates per 100,000 residents in Florida, Arkansas, Missouri and Nevada are among the highest in the country. Florida is reporting 5,178 new daily cases per 100,000 people, Arkansas is reporting 1,023, Missouri is seeing 1,608 and Nevada at 676 per 100,000. The four states are also recording signifiant virus hospitalization increases, with 14-day rates increasing 84 percent in Nevada, 74 percent in Arkansas, 57 percent in Florida and 42 percent in Missouri.
3. About 284 U.S. virus deaths are being reported each day, similar to last week when the average was 250.
4. The U.S. was averaging 20,305 virus hospitalizations per day as of July 14, an increase of 22 percent from two weeks prior.
5. The vaccination campaign has largely stalled, with about 550,000 shots given each day, compared to more than 3.3 million in mid-April.
6. As of July 14, 67.8 percent of all American adults have received at least one vaccine dose, while 59.1 percent are fully vaccinated, per the CDC. This is compared to July 7, when 67.2 percent of all American adults had received at least one dose and 58.4 percent were fully vaccinated.
7. The U.S. is still in "far better shape" than it was at almost all other points of the pandemic, according to the Times.