Average US daily COVID-19 cases below 40K for first time since September

The average number of daily COVID-19 infections in the United States fell below 40,000 Monday for the first time since September, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 

On Monday, the reported seven-day average for daily new coronavirus cases was at 38,000, the lowest level recorded since Sept. 15 and a decrease of 22 percent from just a week ago. 

The current rate is also down 46 percent from a daily average of about 71,000 in mid-April, according to Johns Hopkins. 

The latest seven-day average of daily deaths as a result of COVID-19 was 635 as of Monday, which is much less than the high daily death rates of more than 3,000 in January and February. 

In total, the U.S. has led the globe in most coronavirus infections and deaths, with roughly 32.7 million cases and more than 582,000 deaths as a result of the virus, according to Johns Hopkins data. 

However, Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that the U.S. has likely undercounted the number of coronavirus-related deaths. 

A recent study from the University of Washington indicated that COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. could be as high as 900,000.

The drop in the rate of daily infections in the U.S. comes as nearly 60 percent of the U.S. adult population has received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine as of Monday, with 44 percent fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

However, CDC data indicates that the daily rate of vaccinations has dropped substantially from a high of about 3.4 million administered per day in mid-April. 

Now, the seven-day average of vaccinations fluctuates between 1.9 million and 2.2 million.