U.S. could see an "avoidable surge" of COVID-19 .. states loosen restrictions and cases rise

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said Monday she's concerned the U.S. could experience "another avoidable surge" in coronavirus infections due to new variants, if people don't follow mitigation measures like mask-wearing and social distancing.

"We must act now, and I am worried that if we don't take the right actions now, we will have another avoidable surge — just as we are seeing in Europe right now and just as we are so aggressively scaling up vaccination," Walensky said.

The U.S. seven-day average of daily new coronavirus cases is up by at least 5% in 27 states, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

As of Sunday, the seven-day average of new cases rose by 5% or more in 27 states, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Across the U.S., the nation logged an average of 54,308 new cases per day over the past week — a 1% rise from the prior week after months of rapidly declining case numbers, according to the data.



NEW JERSEY:
As of Sunday, the seven-day average of new cases rose by 5% or more in 27 states, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Across the U.S., the nation logged an average of 54,308 new cases per day over the past week — a 1% rise from the prior week after months of rapidly declining case numbers, according to the data.

“We are back to leading the nation in the spread of this virus,” Gov. Phil Murphy said during his latest COVID-19 briefing in Trenton, stressing that even those who have been vaccinated can still spread the virus. “We still have to work to do together.”


PENNSYLVANIA:
The state’s percentage of positive tests for COVID-19 has risen for the first time in three months, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said Monday.

The positive rate rose to 6.5% for the week of March 12-18, up from 5.7% the previous week. The rate had dropped for 12 consecutive weeks before holding steady at 5.7% for two weeks.

Across Pennsylvania, 25 of the state’s 67 counties are seeing substantial spread of the coronavirus. Last week, the Wolf administration said 21 counties were showing high transmission, so there are four more counties with substantial spread. The Wolf administration uses three categories to gauge the transmission of COVID-19: low, moderate and substantial.

EUROPE:

Several European countries are extending or reintroducing lockdown measures as a third wave of the pandemic sweeps the continent fuelled by more contagious new variants of coronavirus such as the B117 mutation first detected in the UK. 

MORE: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/22/lockdowns-return-extended-third-wave-covid-europe