- On Monday, the United States reported the smallest single-day increase in COVID-19 cases since October.
- Experts say the drop rates may be due to social detachment, seasonal virus patterns or drops in testing.
- “We are not out of danger,” former CDC director Tom Frieden told CNN.
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The United States reached a positive milestone in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic on Monday, with the fewest new cases of COVID-19 reported since October 25, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
On Monday, 64,938 new cases were reported; in October, the minimum was 62,020, Forbes wrote.
Experts say the drop in fees is not a license to mitigate mitigation measures, such as wearing a mask and social distance, even if you are vaccinated.
“Now is the time to not let our guard down,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Sunday “Face the Nation”.
“Now is the time to double.”
There are several possible explanations for the fall
The current low comes after the seven-day average of new daily coronavirus cases in the U.S. dropped to less than 100,000 on Friday for the first time since November.
In December, on the other hand, the average daily infection rate was 200,000, and at its peak in January, it was close to 250,000. Since January 12, rates of new cases have been steadily decreasing, the Washington Post reported.
Experts say the launch of the COVID-19 vaccines does not explain the decline. “I don’t think the vaccine is having much of an impact on case rates,” former CDC director Tom Frieden said on CNN Sunday. “That’s what we’re doing right: staying apart, wearing masks, not traveling, not mixing with other people in the home.”
Other experts say the seasonal patterns of the virus may also play a role, and some wondered if the decline rates are just a reflection of fewer people taking the test.
No matter the cause, experts say staying diligent is critical to keeping case rates from falling, especially as more contagious variants of the coronavirus continue to spread. “We are not out of danger,” said Frieden.