Average daily Covid cases in the U.S. fell below 100,000 on Thursday as the pandemic shows further signs of easing with more than 56% of the population fully immunized against the virus.
Equipped with vaccines this fall, cases have been steadily declining since the country’s most recent peak of about 172,500 average daily infections on Sept. 13, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. It’s the first time daily cases have dropped below 100,000 since early August.
“I think right now, it looks like we’re in for a relatively tough fall with sustained transmission of Covid in our communities,” said Dr. Barbara Taylor, an assistant dean and associate professor of infectious diseases at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. “But I’m hesitant to say that we know everything about what it’s going to look like.”
While infections this time last year were less than half today’s levels, they were quickly rising and eventually reached a pandemic peak after the holiday season of more than 250,000 per day on Jan. 11.
