New COVID-19 cases jumped 7% last week with an average of 64,000 per day.
The seven-day average of new cases is way down from its peak at the beginning of the year, but for the last three weeks new infections have gone up. That means more people in hospitals. The average number of COVID patients went up three percent last week. That's after 11 straight weeks of falling hospitalization numbers.
The head of the CDC is warning young people especially to be careful.
"Cases are increasing nationally and we are seeing this occur predominantly in younger adults," said Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. "This is why you've heard me so clearly share my concern. We know that these increases are due in part to more highly transmissible variants, which we are very closely monitoring. And as more schools are reopening, it's even more important to make sure they do so safely with strict adherence to CDC guidance and for all of us to roll up our sleeves for a vaccine as soon as we can."
Dr. Walensky said we're averaging more than 3 million shots per day. And 40% of adults now have at least their first shot of the vaccine.
