The COVID-19 curve in the US is rising again after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings. And all but two states -- Maine and South Dakota -- reported that case numbers have gone up over the past two weeks. The five states with the biggest two-week jump in cases per capita all had lower vaccination rates: Missouri, 45.9%; Arkansas, 43%; Nevada, 50.9%; Louisiana, 39.2%; and Utah, 49.5%. Even with the latest surge, cases in the US are nowhere near their peak of a quarter-million per day in January. Still, amid the rise, health authorities in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis are begging even immunized people to resume wearing masks in public.

Source: Mint July 14, 2021 00:22 UTC