The daily average for new COVID-19 cases have climbed to a five-week high, with the East Coast mostly driving the increases and as the BA.2 subvariant continues to spread, but hospitalizations are still falling to the lowest levels seen since during the pandemic. The seven-day average of new cases rose to 36,830 on Thursday, the most since March 9, according to a New York Times tracker. The average is up from 33,691 on Wednesday, and is jumped 32% from two weeks ago. The biggest increases in cases from two weeks were Washington, D.C. at 142%, Rhode Island at 102% and New Hampshire at 93%. Only 18 states have seen cases decline, led by the 59% drop in Missouri and 42% fall in Georgia. Meanwhile, the daily average for hospitalizations were 14,827 on Thursday, down 11% from two weeks ago and the lowest count since March 31, 2020. The daily average for deaths was 500, the lowest since Aug. 5, 2021, down 28% from two weeks ago. On a global basis, the total number of cases rose to 502.92 million and deaths grew to 6,193,758, with the U.S. leading the way with 80.57 million cases and 988,121 deaths, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University.
Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.
