US daily COVID-19 cases up nearly 27 percent in last three weeks

COVID-19 cases in the U.S. are up nearly 27 percent in the last three weeks after steadily increasing since mid-October, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC reported that as of Nov. 14, the 7-day average was at 80,823 daily cases, up from 63,852 on Oct. 24, representing a 26.6 percent increase in three weeks time. 

The COVID-19 increase could be a troubling indicator for what is ahead in the U.S. if it follows Europe’s lead into another coronavirus wave.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned U.S. officials to be mindful of the increase of COVID-19 cases in Europe, the current epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.

As of last week, Europe was the only region in the world where COVID-19 cases and deaths were increasing, according to ABC News. Experts attribute the trend to large numbers of unvaccinated people in some countries, along with waning immunity with people not being up to speed on boosters and relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.

The United States has also seen more pediatric cases of COVID-19 on a weekly basis. A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that 122,000 cases of COVID-19 in children were recorded over this past week.

COVID-19 vaccines have been safely approved for effective use in children ages 5-11, however, polling shows that many parents — even vaccinated ones — are skeptical about the safety of the vaccine for kids. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical advisor, has warned that if a low enough amount of Americans remain unvaccinated, a fifth wave of COVID-19 could take hold in the winter months.

According to reports from The Washington Post, senior health officials in the Biden Administration are anxious about Europe’s case load and are urgently pressing for booster shots to be made widely available to the public.