New coronavirus cases are down across the US about 12% on average over the last seven days compared to the previous week, but the nation is still averaging more than 900 deaths a day.
According to an analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University, cases are steadily declining in states hard-hit by Covid-19. Compared to last week, new cases are down in Arizona about 36%, California and Texas have seen a decrease of 29%, and Florida’s numbers are down 26%.
But new cases are rising across the Midwest, including in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and North Dakota, each of which is experiencing its peak seven-day average for daily new cases.
North Dakota claimed the mantle of the state with the highest per capita rate of new cases in the US with a seven-day average of 28.10 new cases per 100,000. Iowa and Kansas both saw record highs Wednesday for new cases reported.
The US reported 44,109 cases and 1,222 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. As of Thursday, there have been more than 5.8 million cases of Covid-19 reported in the US, according to the JHU data. More than 179,000 people have died.
States hit hard by Covid-19 like Texas and Louisiana are dealing with another threat: Hurricane Laura made landfall overnight as a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds. Each crisis has complicated the states’ responses to the other.
Ahead of the storm, some Covid-19 testing sites were closed and efforts paused, likely hampering data collection in the coming days. But the pandemic also hobbled evacuation efforts as residents were worried about seeking refuge in shelters filled with large groups of people.
“We heard that early on from a lot of people, they were fearful of being put into a large shelter,” Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said. So instead, people were sheltered in hotels, Nungesser said, where they could remain safely isolated away from other families.
“I think that was a wise move at FEMA to support those moves to hotels instead of large shelters,” Nungesser said. “It helped a lot of people make the decision to get out.”
Looking ahead, Nungesser said that the pandemic will also complicate relief efforts, particularly for residents who might have been displaced by the storm.
“We are still dealing with the Covid-19 so finding housing for people is going to be a challenge,” Nungesser said.
Meantime, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his state was also relying on new evacuation strategies that were tested last month by Hurricane Hanna, which brought heavy rains to southern Texas.
As many residents as possible were evacuated to hotels, Abbott said, instead of large spaces like convention centers.
“It worked every well in the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna because several weeks after … the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 and the hospitalizations for Covid-19 actually declined,” he said.