The global tally for COVID-19 rose to 281.5 million as of Tuesday morning and the death toll climbed to 5.41 million, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. leads the world with a total COVID-19 case count of 52.8 million and death toll of 818,371. On Monday, there were 543,415 new cases recorded, which boosted the 7-day average of new cases to 243,099, the most since Jan. 13, and more than double (105%) the average from two weeks ago, according to a New York Times tracker. The daily average was also the seventh-highest since the start of the pandemic. The continued spike in new cases comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut its recommended quarantine time for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in half to five days if they are free of symptoms. Meanwhile, the daily average death toll slipped to 1,205 from 1,328 on Sunday, and the daily average of hospitalizations slipped to 71,381 from 71,459. Separately, the number of fully vaccinated in the U.S. crept up to 205.2 million, or 61.8% of the total population, according to CDC data, while 66.4 million Americans have received a booster dose.
Source: Marketwatch
