The U.S. coronavirus infection curve has risen again after months of decline. Driven by rapid spread, the number of new cases per day in the past three weeks has doubled Delta variant, Lagging vaccination rates and July 4th meeting.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although the United States has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, the number of new infections in the United States has doubled in the past two weeks to an average of approximately 24,000 people.

The number of deaths related to the coronavirus is still declining, about 260 people per day.

Dr. Bill Podley, co-director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Washington University School of Medicine, said: “We are considering the exact time when the case is expected to occur after the fourth weekend of July. This is certainly not a coincidence.” St. Louis.

At the same time, parts of the country are facing widespread vaccine resistance, and the highly contagious coronavirus, first discovered in India, accounts for an increasing proportion of infections.

Across the country, 67.7% According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American adults have received at least one COVID-19 injection. The five states with the largest two-week increase in per capita cases have lower vaccination rates.

But even with the recent surge, the number of cases in the United States is far from reaching the peak of 250,000 cases per day recorded in January — proving that vaccines can effectively prevent serious illness and death in infected people.

Nonetheless, this rise has prompted health authorities in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis to urge residents, including those who have been vaccinated, to return to wearing masks in public.

Officials in the City of Chicago announced on Tuesday that unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas must quarantine for 10 days or test negative for COVID-19, and the Mississippi State Department of Health, which ranks last in terms of vaccinations, has begun blocking COVID-19 posts. In the case of “increased misinformation” about the virus and vaccine, on its Facebook page.

U.S. President Joe BidenA goal has been set to vaccinate 70% of American adults by July 4, and efforts are being made to vaccinate more young people. The 18-year-old actress, singer and songwriter Olivia Rodrigo will meet with Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday.

With the increase in the number of infections, health authorities in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis have even pleaded with people who have been vaccinated to return to wearing masks in public. [Andrew Kelly/Reuters]

The government has successfully vaccinated the elderly in the United States, but the urgency of young people to vaccinate has decreased.

At the same time, the head of the organization Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) It said on Wednesday that Mexico and several countries in Central and South America — with significantly lower vaccination rates than the United States — have seen an increase in new infections.

“Although new cases have dropped by nearly 20% from last week, infection rates in many countries, including the United States, are picking up,” said Karissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization, at a weekly news conference. Said.

She said that the Americas reported nearly 74 million COVID-19 cases and 1.9 million deaths in the past week, accounting for more than one-third of global COVID-19 cases and more than 40% of reported deaths.

“When complacency arises, the number of cases increases,” Etienne said. “We are all tired, but after experiencing successive peaks of infection in the same location, we must take public health measures as early as possible and consistently to break this cycle.”

When complacency begins, cases will increase ??. We are all tired, but after experiencing successive peaks of infection in the same place, we must take public health measures as soon as possible and continue to break this cycle ?. @DirOPSPAHO #Coronavirus disease

-Pan American Health Organization/WHO (@pahowho) July 14, 2021

On Tuesday, a coalition of seven organizations representing medical professionals stated that hospitals and other medical institutions in the United States should require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

David Weber, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said: “By requiring vaccination as an employment condition, we have increased the vaccination level of medical staff, improved the protection of patients, and helped achieve community protection,” and the The main author of the statement.

“As medical staff, we are committed to achieving these goals,” he said.

The statement was organized by the Health Care Epidemiology Association of America (SHEA) and signed by the Infectious Diseases Association of America and five other groups. It was conducted after an eight-week review of the three vaccines authorized for use in the United States, vaccination rates, and evidence of employment laws.