As of Tuesday night, infection cases had averaged more than 101,000 per day in the United States over the previous week, a 24 percent decline from two weeks ago.

New deaths are down 13 percent, to 1,829 per day.

According to a New York Times database, hospitalizations have fallen 20 percent and are now averaging less than 75,000 per day for the first time since early August.

However, public health officials stated that the pandemic remained a serious concern. The majority of Covid deaths occurred in unvaccinated individuals during that time period, and around 68 million vaccine-eligible Americans remain unvaccinated. As a result, the country is vulnerable to further surges.

“We’re not out of danger,” said Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist from the University of Washington, in an interview this week.

“This virus is too opportunistic and has taught us one lesson after another.”

He is concerned that people would discontinue mask use and increase their travel, as they did following previous decreases in new cases – activities that could spark a new surge in December and January.

According to a New York Times database, the number of new daily cases in the United States has decreased by 35 percent since Sept. 1. The decline was particularly pronounced in Southern states, which had the greatest infection rates during the June Delta variant outbreak.

Florida, which reported over 20,000 new cases each day on average throughout August, is now reporting fewer than 6,000 infections per day. Louisiana, which was averaging more than 5,000 cases per day just a few weeks ago, now averages about 1,000 cases per day.

“This wave is petering out,” said Edwin Michael from the University of South Florida, in Tampa.

“If there were waning immunity, then we should be at the beginning of another wave now.”

Only 57 percent of Floridians are fully vaccinated, and Dr. Michael expressed concern about the increased risk of the virus genetically mutating across the country while others stay unvaccinated.

Still, he said, “this might be the last wave, pending any new variants that arrive, and the boosters will help with that.”

While around 20,000 fewer Covid patients are hospitalized overall than at the beginning of September, many hospitals in hard-hit areas of the country continue to be overburdened. This is especially true in Alaska, which consistently outperforms the rest of the country in recent cases per person. The danger of flu season could exacerbate the situation.

Newly reported cases in Montana and Wyoming appear to have stabilised following some of the largest outbreaks in recent weeks. In neither state is more than 50 percent of the population vaccinated against the coronavirus. Montana has a vaccination rate of 49 percent, whereas Wyoming has a vaccination rate of 42 percent. Only West Virginia, with a rate of 40 percent, remains lower.

Each day, about 2,000 Covid-related deaths are reported nationwide, and the United States passed the 700,000 mark on Friday. Approximately 65 percent of the eligible population in the United States is completely vaccinated against the virus.

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