COVID cases, deaths continue to drop due to vaccines, data show. ‘Better days ahead’

More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, it’s safe to say we’re sick of all the bad news. Now, it’s time for the good.

COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations have been dropping consistently over the last several weeks, with the nation’s seven-day average of new coronavirus infections and hospital admissions down 91% since Jan. 8 and 81% since Jan. 9, respectively, according to the White House.

On a smaller scale, the country’s latest seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases stands at 22,877 per day, a decrease of about 25% from the previous seven-day average, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a Tuesday COVID-19 briefing.

That also marks seven consecutive days with the average staying below 30,000 cases a day, Walensky added.

Hospitalizations and deaths are down, too. The seven-day average for daily hospital admissions is about 3,000, a decrease of nearly 17% from the prior average. About 500 Americans continue to die every day.

Although one death is too many, it’s a stark difference from earlier this year, when the seven-day average for coronavirus-related deaths in January was about 3,200, WebMD reported, compared to just under 700 four months before that. In the same month, the U.S. set a grim record of more than 4,300 deaths in 24 hours.

Put another way, an American was dying from the disease every 19 seconds, according to USA Today calculations.

The positive trends we’re seeing today are thanks to the vaccines, experts say.

“Here’s to the start of blue skies and better days ahead,” Walensky said. “We are continuing to watch these data closely. I remain conscious but hopeful they will continue to trend downward as vaccinations scale up.”

Federal health officials announced Tuesday that 50% of adult Americans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That means more than 129 million adults have rolled up their sleeves since December, when the first two shots were authorized for emergency use. Shortly after, a third was authorized for the general population.

Earlier this month, children between 12 and 15 years old became eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Now, nearly 47% of the population aged 12 and older is fully vaccinated.

However, “we have more work to do,” Andy Slavitt, a top White House health care adviser, said during the COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday.

On May 4, President Joe Biden set a new goal of having 70% of the U.S. adult population with at least one shot by July 4.

“You might be seeing all the positive news around you — cases down, deaths down, friends safely shedding their masks, business reopening — and think you’re in the clear, but … we have more work to do,” Slavitt said.

Scientists have warned that the more opportunities the coronavirus has to spread, the more chances it has to mutate into more dangerous variants that could become powerful enough to evade vaccines’ defenses.

A way out of that scenario? Get vaccinated, experts say.

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