#COVID-19 deaths continue to decline in the United States

(HealthDay)—In a sign that the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning to ebb in America, a new analysis reveals the seven-day average of new COVID-19 deaths in the United States has hit its lowest point since last October.

As of Wednesday, 684 new deaths had been reported, data from Johns Hopkins University showed. That is roughly an 80 percent drop since January, CNN reported. And the decline has been sure and steady in recent months: Since the start of 2021, the seven-day average number of COVID-19 deaths has decreased.

Still, more Americans need to get vaccinated, experts urge. Most pressing are young people, some of whom may think they do not have as much to fear from the virus, CNN reported. Anyone aged 16 years and older is now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. But a recent Quinnipiac University poll showed that 36 percent of adults younger than 35 years do not plan on getting one. When Rochelle Walensky, M.D., director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recently warned of a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, that increase was seen mostly among younger adults, most of whom were not vaccinated, CNN reported.

Despite the push for more vaccinations, state and local leaders say they are seeing a decrease in demand. As a result, they are asking vaccine manufacturers to scale down the size of vials and how much is distributed, CNN reported.

Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.