Across the country, more than 100,000 new cases have been reported every day over the past two weeks, but experts say that number could actually be higher.
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows about one-third of the U.S. population is now living in a county with a “high COVID-19 community level,” which means the agency recommends universal indoor masking.“Our goal is to make sure that whatever we put in place is going to stem the infections, keep down on hospitalizations and most importantly, keep down those who die from COVID,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said.
Health experts warn data on the rise in COVID-19 cases may not tell the full story due to the widespread use of at-home test kits. A recent pre-print study based on health records from the Veteran’s Administration shows that catching COVID-19 over and over again appears to increase the chances a person will experience new and sometimes lasting health problems after their infection.
On the vaccine front, the White House said Thursday that only about 2% of children under the age of 5 have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.