America sees a increase in Covid-19 cases again: Doubles in 3 weeks.

Health authorities in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis are requesting even immunized people to resume wearing masks in public.

The Covid-19 curve in the United States is rising again after months of decline, with the number of new cases per day doubling over the past three weeks. This is driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings, according to news agency Associated Press.

Covid-19 infections climbed to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Confirmed infections climbed to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23, according to Johns Hopkins University data. And all but two states — Maine and South Dakota — reported that case numbers have gone up over the past two weeks.

“It is certainly no coincidence that we are looking at exactly the time that we would expect cases to occur after the July Fourth weekend,” said Dr Bill Powderly, co-director of the infectious-disease division at Washington University’s School of Medicine in St Louis.

On 17 of the past 18 days, the seven-day Covid-19 case average was higher than the 14-day average, also suggesting cases have been rising nationally.

Even with the latest surge, Covid-19 cases in the US are nowhere near their peak of a quarter-million per day in January.

Health authorities in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis are requesting even immunised people to resume wearing masks in public.

At the same time, parts of the country are running up against deep vaccine resistance, while the highly contagious mutant version of the coronavirus that was first detected in India is accounting for an ever-larger share of infections.

Nationally, 55.6 per cent of all Americans have received at least one COVID-19 shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The five states with the biggest two-week jump in cases per capita all had lower vaccination rates: Missouri, 45.9 per cent; Arkansas, 43 per cent; Nevada, 50.9 per cent; Louisiana, 39.2 per cent; and Utah, 49.5 per cent.

Department officials are also recommending that people who are above 65 years of age and those with chronic underlying conditions stay away from large indoor gatherings because of a 150 per cent rise in hospitalizations over the past three weeks.

Even with the latest surge, cases in the US are nowhere near their peak of a quarter-million per day in January. And deaths are running at under 260 per day on average after topping out at more than 3,400 over the winter — a testament to how effectively the vaccine can prevent serious illness and death in those who happen to become infected.

Still, amid the rise, health authorities in places such as Los Angeles County and St. Louis are begging even immunized people to resume wearing masks in public. And Chicago officials announced Tuesday that unvaccinated travelers from Missouri and Arkansas must either quarantine for 10 days or have a negative Covid-19 test.

Meanwhile, the Health Department in Mississippi, which ranks dead last nationally for vaccinations, began blocking posts about Covid-19 on its Facebook page because of a “rise of misinformation” about the virus and the vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly all recent Covid-19 cases and deaths from the disease are among unvaccinated people.

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