Covid-19 Live Updates: New U.S. Cases Under 40,000 for Third Day

Newly reported coronavirus cases in the U.S. stayed under 40,000 for the third consecutive day, as Covid-19 vaccinations appeared set to be expanded to younger people.

The U.S. reported 36,231 new cases for Monday, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Monday’s figure was lower than the week-earlier tally of 50,560 but was up from Sunday’s total of 21,392. About a third of states don’t report new cases or deaths on the weekends, and many don’t report Covid-19 data on a daily basis.

The seven-day moving average of Covid-19 infections, which smooths out states’ irregular data reporting schedules, was 38,826 as of Monday, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Johns Hopkins data, while the 14-day average was 44,222. When the seven-day average is lower than the 14-day average, as it has been since April 17, it indicates cases are falling.

Hospitalizations stood at 35,527, according to the latest data posted by the Department of Health and Human Services. The nation’s death toll topped 582,100, as the country reported 399 fatalities for Monday, according to Johns Hopkins data.

The nation’s vaccination efforts made progress, with an average of 2.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines administered a day over the past week, according to a Journal analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 34.8% of the total U.S. population is now fully vaccinated, according to CDC data. Levels are higher among the elderly, with more than 71% of people age 65 and older fully vaccinated.

Vaccination levels vary by state. In Connecticut, 45% of the total population is now fully vaccinated and 57.6% have had at least one dose. The figures are lower in Mississippi, where 25.1% are fully vaccinated and 32% have had at least one shot.

On Monday, U.S. health regulators cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 15, paving the way for many to be immunized before summer camps and the start of the next school year. Inoculations in the younger group could start in pharmacies and mass-vaccination sites as soon as states deem them eligible. Expanded eligibility could come as early as Thursday, according to Peter Marks, who heads the FDA division that regulates vaccines.

Novavax meanwhile, has delayed plans to seek regulatory clearances for its Covid-19 vaccine, while shortages in raw materials are slowing the ramp-up in production of doses, the company said. The delays may set back efforts to increase vaccinations in developing countries, which have been dealing with limited doses of currently available shots and are looking forward to Novavax’s.

Previously, Novavax said it expected to complete requests for regulatory authorizations of its vaccine in the U.S., the U.K. and other European countries by the end of June. Now, the company says it expects to complete those filings by the end of September.

As Covid-19 continues to spread rapidly in India, the World Health Organization classified a coronavirus variant first spotted in the country as a global “variant of concern,” saying preliminary studies showed it may be more transmissible than some other variants. The WHO didn’t report any evidence suggesting that currently authorized vaccines would be less effective against the variant. The variant, known as B.1.617, has already spread to more than 30 countries, according to the WHO, including the U.S., the U.K., France and Japan.