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The number of new coronavirus cases is on the rise across the country, with a 16% increase over the past week. According to the latest data from John Hopkins University, the U.S reported an average of 92,000 cases per day, with all but 12 states reporting a rise in daily cases.
The largest increases were seen across the Midwest, with Michigan and Minnesota reporting the highest number of cases per capita in the country.
The rise in cases is also being seen among children, with the American Academy of Pediatrics reporting a 32% increase in pediatric cases over the past two weeks. There were nearly 142,000 new cases reported among children for the week ending on November 18, which represents more than 25% of all new cases.
While the overall number of daily cases is down from last year when the U.S. was averaging 175,000 new infections every day, the recent uptick ahead of Thanksgiving concerns health experts. With under 60% of the population fully vaccinated, the virus can still spread, increasing the risk of rare breakthrough cases.
"We have a lot of virus circulating around," Dr. Anthony Fauci said, according to CNN, which "results in the dynamic of virus in the community that not only is dangerous and makes people who are unvaccinated vulnerable, but it also spills over into the vaccinated people because no vaccine is 100% effective."