US COVID-19 Cases Approach 50 Million

The U.S. has reported nearly 50 million coronavirus cases during the pandemic, reaching another grim milestone as the Omicron variant spreads across the country and world.

The variant has now been detected in 19 states, with more cases emerging just 5 days after the first report of Omicron in the U.S. was announced in California, according to The Washington Post .

At the same time, public health officials have noted that most of the nation’s cases are still caused by the Delta variant, which has led to some of the largest surges of the pandemic so far, the newspaper reported. The 7-day average for U.S. COVID-19 cases climbed toward 120,000 daily cases on Monday.

As of Tuesday morning, the U.S. had reported about 49.3 million cases throughout the pandemic, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, with more than 2.6 million cases added in the past month.

The country’s death toll neared 790,000 on Tuesday, with nearly 33,000 deaths added in the past month alone.

Public health officials are encouraging people to get vaccinated or receive a booster shot to protect against the Omicron variant. As of Monday morning, nearly 200 million Americans were fully vaccinated, according to the latest update from the CDC.

Among people ages 65 and older, 99.9% have received at least one dose, and 86.6% are fully vaccinated. About 48% have received a booster dose.

Among people ages 18 and older, 83.5% have received at least one dose, and 71.5% are fully vaccinated. About 25% have received a booster dose.

Among those eligible for the initial vaccine series — ages 5 and older — 75.6% have received at least one dose, and 63.8% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Sources:

The Washington Post: “U.S. coronavirus cases approach 50 million.”

Johns Hopkins University: “Coronavirus Resource Center.”

CDC: “COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States.”

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