COVID tally: The number of new infections in the U.S. is up 28% over the last two weeks

The daily average of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. was about 51,000, as of Sunday, according to a New York Times tracker. That’s a 28% increase in people testing positive for the virus over the last two weeks. The number of people who are hospitalized with COVID-19 has also increased by 28% over the last 14 days. There are currently about 35,000 people in the hospital. The number of COVID-19 deaths is declining, though about 250 people are still dying every day. The current uptick in new infections in the U.S. is different than past surges, primarily because no one variant is responsible. Three variants – BQ.1, BQ.1.1, and BA.5 – made up at least 76% of cases last week, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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