The U.S. recorded more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday as numbers reach levels last seen in April, largely due to the highly infectious delta variant spreading rapidly throughout the country.
The U.S. has recorded more than 620,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The 1,017 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday across the country equated to about 24 deaths an hour, based on a Reuters tally. Fatalities from the coronavirus have spiked in the past month, averaging 769 per day, the highest since mid-April.
COVID-19 infections are also on the rise across the country, averaging more than 100,000 new daily cases for the past 12 days, marking a six-month high. The CDC said on Tuesday the Delta variant now accounts for more than 98.8 percent of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.
With the continued spread of the Delta variant, President Joe Biden’s administration confirmed on Tuesday evening it planned to extend requirements for travelers to wear masks on airplanes, trains, and buses and at airports and train stations until January 18, 2022.
As for the vaccination rate across the nation, U.S. health officials are seeing a 14 percent increase in the number of vaccine doses being given in the past two weeks, reports US News.
Even though governments and some businesses offered monetary incentives for getting vaccinated, a failure to see an appreciable increase in the vaccination rate has many companies and states mandating vaccines if workers want to keep their jobs and not face routine testing.
However, U.S. hospitals continue to flood with new patients as COVID-related hospitalizations have increased by about 70 percent in the past two weeks.
