In the Star Tribune, Stephen Groves of Associated Press writes that the new reported cases of coronavirus cases around the US are at their lowest level in almost a year. “As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552 — a rate not seen since July last year. It’s a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January.”

As each week passes and as we continue to see progress, these data give me hope.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of CDC at a news conference (source: Star Tribune)

According to the Associated Press, these success are attributed to efficient roll out of vaccines nationwide resulting vaccination of above 60% Americans that are 18-yr and older.

Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, a Boston College public health expert told AP “My biggest concern is new strains of the virus and the need to remain vigilant in the months ahead. […] It is getting to the point to where by the Fourth of July we might be able to declare this thing over”.

“It will take a nationwide vaccination rate of at least 85% to snuff out the virus. But for now, the steep drop in cases gave him hope that pandemic-level infection rates will soon be a thing of the past,” said Dr Landrigan.

• Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Signs of an uptick in vaccination pace
• New COVID-19 cases in U.S. plummet to lowest levels since last June

The MPR News reports that weekly average and the number of new cases each day was at its lowest point last week since mid-September. Though the vaccination rate in the state was reportedly slowing down from the peak 60,000 doses a week, however last Sunday the state reported above 40,000 shots in a day.

“The recent increases in the vaccination pace are being driven by a big rise in reported first vaccine doses — now averaging nearly 18,000 a day, up from about 10,000 a day a week ago,” reports the MPR News.