The seven-day average for new COVID cases continue to fall, hit a three-week low of 64,410 on Wednesday, according to a New York Times tracker. That’s down 8.6% from the recent peak of 70,508 on Christmas Eve, and down 2% from two weeks ago. The daily average for deaths was 345 on Wednesday, the lowest number since Dec. 7, and down 24% from two weeks ago. The NYT trackers said there is reason to believe case and death counts could artificially low, as those who track those numbers take vacation for the Christmas and New Years’s holidays, but hospitalization data isn’t typically affected by holiday reporting breaks. Hospitalizations slipped 2% from two weeks ago to 39,048, the lowest seen since Dec. 11, but COVID-related patients in intensive care units (ICUs) rose 7% in two weeks to 4,868. Meanwhile, the test positivity rate climbed to a four-month high above 14%, and has increased by 18% over the past two weeks. Higher test positivity rates suggest many new COVID cases are not being reported, as many found through at-home tests may not be reported to case trackers.
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