Lowest number of coronavirus cases since June as summer surge abates

Coronavirus by chaddavis.photography is licensed under Creative Commons Flickr
The number of coronavirus cases reported Sunday, roughly 34,500, was the lowest since late June, making it the eighth straight day that new cases fell below 50,000. 

The seven-day average number of new cases has been lower than the 14-day average for about a month, a good sign that suggests the outbreaks over the summer have come under control. 

Several of the hardest-hit states are also seeing seven-day averages that are lower than 14-day averages. California, for example, has a 14-day average number of cases of about 7,900, with a seven-day average of 6,777. Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee, all also previously hot spots, have similarly seen a downward trend. 

Lower daily case counts, a positive sign that the coronavirus pandemic is abating, may also be partly a reflection of national declines in testing. The seven-day average number of tests fell from 814,000 at the end of July to 674,000 through Sunday, according to COVID Tracking Project. Yet the share of tests that come back positive has fallen, suggesting that cases are declining because the outbreak is easing. The weekly average positivity rate declined from 7.7% to 6.2% in the most recent reading, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Coronavirus by chaddavis.photography is licensed under Creative Commons Flickr

Comments