Seven states set new highs last week for coronavirus infections recorded in a single day, according to the COVID Tracking Project and state health departments. Wisconsin and Nebraska surpassed records set the previous week.
Why it matters: Problem spots are sticking in the Midwest, although the U.S. is moving in the right direction overall after massive infection spikes this summer.
Records broken:
- Sept. 12: West Virginia (347)
- Sept. 13: None.
- Sept. 14: None.
- Sept. 15: None.
- Sept. 16: Wyoming (128)
- Sept. 17: None.
- Sept. 18: North Dakota (507), Nebraska (502), Oregon (492), Utah (1,117) and Wisconsin (2,580).
Zoom in: Wisconsin has reported over 2,000 new COVID-19 infections for three days straight, from Sept. 17 to Sept. 19. The spike corresponds with a 300% rise in confirmed cases recorded last week in 18-24 year olds, per the state health department.
- Wildfires in Oregon causing some of the worst air quality in the world have made testing harder to access, meaning the accuracy of coronavirus models in the state could be affected, Oregon's health department said.
- Utah's coronavirus task force said the state has experienced a "serious spike" that affected its seven-day rolling average. Infections in 15-24 year olds account for most cases in the current rise.
The big picture: Coronavirus cases increased in 17 states last week and testing fell by over 6%, according to a seven-day average tracked by Axios.
- “With a combination of a good vaccine together with good public health measures, we may be able to put this coronavirus outbreak behind us, the way we put the original SARS behind us," NIAID director Anthony Fauci told the Wall Street Journal.
Go deeper: We're numb to the coronavirus
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include COVID Tracking Project (CTP) data, in addition to data taken directly from state health departments. CTP began reporting non-resident cases as part of Alaska's total case count on July 16.
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