New COVID-19 cases fall 70 percent from delta surge peak

After the delta variant of the coronavirus took hold in the United States in July, new cases rose sharply for almost two months straight. The current wave peaked in September at nearly 190,000 new cases per day. But daily cases are now down to about 56,000 per day.

Is the decline real? Deaths attributed to COVID-19 have also dropped sharply. At the delta variant peak, 2,400 Americans were dying of the illness each day. That number is now under 1,000. At its January peak, COVID-19 claimed more than 4,000 lives in the United States each day. But the vast majority of those who are most vulnerable to severe disease are now vaccinated. Ninety-seven percent of adults 65 and up have received at least one dose, and 85 percent of them are fully vaccinated.

Dig deeper: Read Charles Horton’s report on COVID-19 vaccines and herd immunity.