[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The average daily number of new COVID-19 cases in the United States has surpassed 130,000 for the first time in five months. With the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron subvariant BA.5, new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are all increasing simultaneously.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 14th (local time), the seven-day average of daily new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. as of the previous day was 130,511, a 16% increase compared to two weeks ago. The daily average of new cases exceeding 130,000 is the first time since February 15, five months ago.
COVID-19 cases in the U.S. had declined to around 26,000 in early April, showing a lull, and then plateaued around 100,000. However, the NYT reported that cases have recently surged in about 40 states.
In particular, the positivity rate among tests has recently risen to 18.1%, which is the highest level except during the Omicron surge (29.2%) and the early pandemic period (21.0%).
The average daily number of hospitalized patients as of the previous day was 38,971, a 19% increase compared to two weeks ago. The average daily deaths were also recorded at 430, exceeding 400 for the first time since mid-April. This is also an 11% increase compared to two weeks ago.
Locally, considering that many cases are not officially counted due to the use of home test kits, there are numerous claims that the actual number of infections is much higher. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine recently estimated that the actual number of cases is about seven times the official count.
This spread is largely attributed to the impact of the Omicron subvariant BA.5, which has recently become dominant. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 65.0% of new cases in the U.S. from June 3 to 9 were infections with BA.5. It has also been confirmed that reinfections are occurring among people who had previously contracted COVID-19.
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