Coronavirus tally: U.S. cases up 19% from two weeks ago and hospitalizations up 15%

U.S. COVID cases and hospitalizations are rising again to the highest seen this summer so far, as the BA.5 omicron subvariant continues to spread. BA.5 is understood to be the most transmissible variant seen so far and to have an ability to break through vaccination and cause reinfection. The daily average for new U.S. cases stood at 127,756 on Sunday, according to a New York Times tracker, up 19% from two weeks ago. The true case count is likely higher, given the number of people who are testing at home, where the data are not being collected. The daily average for hospitalizations rose to 43,102, up 15% in two weeks. The daily average for deaths is up 38% to 444. In California, cases are higher than they've been in six months, while in New York, there are more patients in hospitals than at the peak of last year's delta wave of cases. Globally, the confirmed case tally rose above 570.2 million on Monday, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins, while the death toll is above 6.38 million with the U.S. leading the world with 90.4 million cases and 1,026,951 deaths.

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