WASHINGTON, D.C. — The seven-day rolling average for daily new coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks from 52,350 to more than 74,180.
That’s according to data through Wednesday from Johns Hopkins University, marking a return to levels not seen since the summer surge.
The rolling average for daily new deaths rose over the past two weeks from 724 to 787.
Positive test rates have been rising in 45 states, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Fifteen states have positive test rates of 10% or higher, considered an indicator of widespread transmission.
Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Adm. Brett Giroir said earlier this week the proof of the uptick is the rising numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.
The U.S. leads the world with 8.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 228,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.