US COVID-19 Cumulative Cases Surpass 40 Million... Delta Variant Surge

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the United States has surpassed 40 million. Despite a vaccination rate exceeding 60%, the Delta variant is still rampant.

According to the international statistics site Worldometer on the 2nd (Korean time), the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the U.S. reached approximately 40.33 million as of the 1st. This remains the highest number in the world. The cumulative death toll (about 659,000) is also the highest globally.

The U.S. surpassed 10 million cases on November 5 last year, then exceeded 20 million in less than two months on December 29. On March 12, it passed 30 million cases, and with vaccination rates rising to some extent, it increased by another 10 million in about half a year.

The U.S. vaccination rate is 62% (based on first dose as of the end of August), and the rate of those who have completed the second dose also exceeds half at 53%.

However, as the gap in vaccination rates between states remains unclosed and the Delta variant spreads, fears of a fourth resurgence are growing. According to The New York Times (NYT) data, the average daily new cases over the past week reached 160,041 (as of the end of August), a 14% increase from the previous week.

With schools fully resuming in-person classes, the increase in child infections is also a concern. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the weekly new cases among children as of August 26 reached 203,962, approaching the peak level seen in January.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.