The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States continues to drop. Much of the good news comes from arctic cold weather and numerous snow storms keeping many Americans home.
The number of new daily COVID-19 infections fell below 100,000 for the first time this year, according to figures published by Johns Hopkins University. Newly reported infections dropped from last Saturday’s 104,015 to 88,044 last Sunday. New figures will also be released on Valentine’s Day. The number of daily deaths also has fallen sharply in the last week, from a historic peak of 5,085 on Feb. 4 to 1,276 on Feb. 7, the lowest figure so far this year.
More Americans are making the decision to have their terminally ill loved ones die at home rather than in nursing home and hospice settings amid the pandemic. National hospice organizations are reporting that facilities are seeing double-digit percentage increases in the number of patients being cared for at home. For many families, home seems to be a more preferable setting than the terrifying scenario of saying farewell to loved ones behind glass or during video calls.
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Meanwhile, hospitalizations because of the coronavirus saw their 26th consecutive day of decline on Sunday, dropping to 81,439, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
States continue to ramp up vaccinations, with California leading the charge, with nearly 3.7 million people having received at least one dose, according to data from the CDC. Around 59 million doses of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s two-dose vaccines have been distributed in the United States, with just over 41 million doses administered as of Feb. 7.
Texas, second behind California in vaccine rollout, has vaccinated nearly 2.5 million people with at least one dose. Gov. Gregg Abbott said in a tweet Sunday that Texas had administered nearly 600,000 vaccines between Thursday and Sunday alone.
“Thanks to the front-line workers achieving these results,” Abbott wrote. “Always voluntary, never forced.”
Covid-19 cases are expected to drop throughout the winter.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice