For the first time since the winter surge, the US is averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a day

• During the peak of the winter surge, the US averaged nearly 250,000 new COVID-19 infections a day.
• On July 27, the CDC recommended fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings.
• The Delta variant is now the predominant strain of the virus in the US.

The US is now averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a day, returning to levels not seen since the winter surge, the Associated Press reports.

Additionally, the seven-day average for daily new deaths increased from about 270 deaths per day to nearly 500 a day as of Friday, AP reported. As of Aug. 5, more than 615,000 individuals have died from COVID-19 in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

In late July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance and emphasized the importance of increasing vaccination rates amidst surging cases of the delta variant.

"If you are unvaccinated, you are much more likely to get COVID-19, get hospitalized, and die if you get it. This is a tragedy. People are dying and will die who don't have to die. That's why we're doing everything we can to get more people vaccinated," President Joe Biden said at a press conference on August 3.