New daily coronavirus cases dropped to more than 100,000 on Thursday, after falling below that threshold for the first time since the fall earlier in the week.
The general trend in recent weeks is still positive, as cases and hospitalizations have decreased compared to the peak in January.
But the 103,000 cases on Thursday, as recorded by the COVID Screening Project, are a reminder that the spread of the virus is still at extremely high levels, and more contagious variants threaten to start another increase.
Cases dropped 23% from last week and 57% from their peak in January. Hospitalizations decreased 42 percent from maximum levels, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
But the number of victims of the virus remains heavy, with about 3,000 people dying every day. Deaths are an indicator of delay, so the drop in cases will take longer to appear there.
And the threat of more contagious variants, particularly one first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, threatens to undo downward trends.
A race basically started between the new variants and vaccinations. Experts say that the faster people can be vaccinated, the more it will help prevent a further increase in variants.
Other precautions remain essential, including wearing a mask, avoiding meetings in closed environments and keeping your distance from others.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasized on Thursday that it is important to wear a mask that fits well and said that wearing a cloth mask over a medical procedure mask can significantly reduce transmission.