The COVID wave is accelerating across the U.S., with Maine being the only state to report a slight decline in the last two weeks.
Why it matters: A 53% jump in cases and a rise in hospitalizations reflects how case growth has moved beyond the Northeast, with metropolitan areas with high vaccination rates increasingly accounting for a higher share of disease spread.
That hasn't appreciably changed public behavior, with one in three Americans now saying the pandemic is over, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
- Concern among Americans ticked up slightly, the poll showed.
- "But there's absolutely no behavior change. If anything, behaviors are moving in the other direction," said Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson, pointing to more time spent with friends and family and steady rates of dining out.
By the numbers: There were roughly 96,000 new daily cases over the last week, up more than 50% from about 62,500 two weeks ago.
- The highest reported case rates continue to be in the northeast with Connecticut and Rhode Island both posting more than 76 new cases per 100,000 people. Massachusetts tallied 66 new cases per 100,000.
- States with some of the biggest recent case jumps include Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey and Delaware.
- Eight states are still reporting new case rates in below 10 new cases per 100,000 people, including Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama.
Zoom in: The U.S. averaged roughly 300 daily deaths, d0wn 11% from about 340 two weeks ago.
- That returns the U.S. to a trend of declining COVID deaths after a 7% increase last week.
The big picture: The U.S. COVID death toll officially surpassed 1 million this week.
- The Ipsos poll found respondents are more concerned about spreading COVID-19 to others or being inconvenienced by public health restrictions than getting sick or dying — regardless of vaccination status.
- "There appears to be a relatively small amount of Americans who are feeling any personal sense of risk," Jackson said.
