Daily U.S. Covid case counts remain below 20,000 as nation averages 1.1 million vaccine shots per day
A man receives a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test at a mobile testing van in Brooklyn, New York, June 2, 2021.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
The level of average daily Covid cases remained below 20,000 for the third straight day Wednesday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
At the same time, federal data shows the pace of daily reported vaccinations fell to a seven-day average of 1.1 million, the lowest level in months. White House Covid data director Cyrus Shahpar wrote in a tweet Wednesday that the Memorial Day holiday is responsible for lower vaccine administration and a lag in reporting.
About 51% of the total U.S. population and 63% of American adults have received one vaccine shot or more, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
U.S. Covid cases
The U.S. is reporting an average of roughly 16,300 infections per day over the past week, according to Hopkins data. Many states did not report data on Memorial Day and may still be in the process of clearing their backlogs.
U.S. Covid deaths
The seven-day average of daily U.S. Covid deaths is 537, Hopkins data shows. That figure could also be affected by a lack of Memorial Day weekend reporting and is further complicated by data audits being conducted by state health departments.
On Tuesday, for example, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced that an audit found 260 new Covid deaths, according to the Associated Press. All of those are currently being attributed to June 1 in the Hopkins data despite having occurred earlier in the pandemic.
Still, daily reported death counts are far below the elevated levels seen last spring and this past winter.
U.S. vaccine shots administered
The U.S. is reporting an average of 1.1 million daily vaccine shots over the past week, CDC data shows.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday doubled down on his administration’s efforts to get more Americans vaccinated against Covid-19 by July 4. Biden has set a goal of getting 70% of American adults to receive at least one jab by then.
U.S. share of the population vaccinated
About 51% of Americans have received one shot of a vaccine or more, and 41% are fully vaccinated.
Among those ages 18 and older, 63% are at least partially vaccinated.
