The daily average for new COVID cases dipped into the Christmas weekend, while hospitalizations leveled off and deaths declines. The seven-day average of new cases was 66,077 on Monday, flat from two weeks ago but down from 70,508 on Christmas Eve, according to a New York Times tracker. Less than half (24) of U.S. states saw cases climb from two weeks ago, led by Michigan at 55% and Kentucky at 44%, while the biggest decliners were Wyoming at 50% and Arizona at 48%. The number of COVID-related hospitalizations slipped to 40,156 on Monday from 40,969 on Saturday, but was up 3% over the past two weeks. COVID patients in intensive care units (ICUs) rose 11% in two weeks to 4,931, while deaths fell 9% to 426. The Times tracker noted that case and death counts over the holiday weekend could be artificially low, as officials who track those numbers take vacation.
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