Hospitals overwhelmed again as US reports fresh surge in daily cases
The fresh surge has been fuelled by the Delta mutation of the coronavirus and most of the positive samples have been found of the unvaccinated people.
New cases soared to the highest weekly level in the United States as the country started witnessing a fresh surge of coronavirus infections. According to a report by Bloomberg, the new cases in the US rose to 761,216 in the week ended Sunday, the highest total since early February.
The fresh surge has been fuelled by the Delta mutation of the coronavirus and most of the positive samples have been found of the unvaccinated people.
The death toll has also risen to record levels as it climbed 49% to 3,486 for the same period. It was the biggest weekly increase since December, Bloomberg reported.
The US is at the top of the list of the countries worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the onset of the pandemic, the cases have grown exponentially in the country along with fatalities. The trajectory slowed down after the shift in vaccination drive following the appointment of Joe Biden as the President, making it more organised, expanding the distribution to maximum age groups.
So far, more than 616,800 Americans have succumbed to the viral infection that targets the immunity system of the body. The number of total infections stands at 35,948,131, the John Hopkins' tally showed.
Following the surge, Oregon along with other states reimplemented face mask norms. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday said that he will not repeal his emergency order banning local governments from requiring mask use and social distancing. People are able to make their own decisions on protecting their health, he also said.
Mississippi’s top public health official on Monday said that as Covid-19 cases continue to surge with the highly contagious delta variant, no intensive care beds are available in 35 of the state’s top-level hospitals. Hospitalizations for Covid-19 have hit a record high in some other states including Louisiana, Arkansas.
On Sunday, Anthony Fauci, the US’ top infectious disease doctor, said he’s “strongly in favour of speeding booster shots to people with weakened immune systems, a further sign of how the delta variant is shifting the strategies for curbing the pandemic.
(With agency inputs)