New U.S. COVID Cases Are Down 21%

• Community transmission of COVID remains high in 89.2% of American counties, according to current data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite that, the latest wave, driven by the highly contagious and completely dominant Delta variant, appears to have crested, with new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to the virus all in decline from levels two weeks ago. 
• Cases and hospitalizations have decreased by roughly 20% in that period, while deaths due to the virus are down 4%, according to New York Times data from Oct. 12. 
• Meanwhile, in the nation’s ongoing vaccine drive, people seeking a booster shot now outnumber those getting their first COVID vaccine. That’s not for lack of unvaccinated individuals—23.4% of the eligible population are still in that category—but slow uptake among them, even as many employers have begun to mandate it. 
• In total, 187.7 million Americans, or 56.5% of the total population, are fully vaccinated against COVID, up from 55% a week ago. Eight and a half million of those individuals, or 4.6% of them, have also received a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine, up from 3.2% a week ago. For individuals 65 and older, 11.9% have gotten a COVID booster shot. 
• While the FDA has so far only authorized Pfizer’s booster doses for certain populations, the agency will be formally discussing Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster data later this week.

(Source: Fortune)