The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States during the pandemic has now surpassed a staggering figure of 30 million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University


What You Need To Know

  • The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States during the pandemic has now surpassed  30 million, according to Johns Hopkins University

  • On many days, the virus is still killing more than 1,000 Americans — Wednesday’s death toll was 1,454

  • The seven-day average for new cases as of Tuesday was 58,922, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers

  • As of Wednesday, more than 85.4 million Americans, or 25.7% of the population, had received at least one dose of vaccine, and 46.3 million (14%) have been fully vaccinated

The once-unthinkable milestone was reached as about a quarter of Americans have received at least one dose of vaccine and new daily cases have plateaued at a number far less than the winter’s peak, but also as U.S. health officials caution against complacency. 

On many days, the virus is still killing more than 1,000 Americans — Wednesday’s death toll was 1,454, according to Johns Hopkins. To date, more than 545,000 people in the U.S. have succumbed to COVID-19.

The seven-day average for new cases as of Tuesday — the most recent day when the data were available — was 58,922, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers

But that number is still too high, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious disease expert and President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser.

“When you're at that level, I don't think you can declare victory and say you've turned the corner,” he told reporters Wednesday.

As of Wednesday, more than 85.4 million Americans, or 25.7% of the population, had received at least one dose of vaccine, and 46.3 million (14%) have been fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

On average, 2.5 million people are now getting the shot per day, and the U.S. officials announced Wednesday it will increase the number of vaccine doses it sends out across the country to 27 million next week, a more than 300% increase from January.