The number of new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across the country continued to decline last week – although the death toll remains high, according to reports.
Cases fell 17% in the week to Jan. 27, while COVID-19 hospitalizations fell 10 percent, according to the COVID follow-up project.
It marked the second consecutive week of declines in both categories.
However, the number of deaths caused by the virus remains unseen before this month – up 7% last week, with another 22,797 deaths reported.
However, deaths tend to be due to declines in cases and hospitalizations.
“Even in cases in the United States, we may have a week or more with a very large number of deaths,” said the researchers behind the project.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that the seven-day positive average for COVID-19 tests dropped to the 23rd consecutive day in the Empire State.
“We are facing an increase in the holiday season due to the increase in social activity,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Growth is declining.”
“Here and now the news is very good, but pay attention to the UK and other options, as all of this suggests that more diligence will be needed,” he said.
More contagious mutations or variants of the virus have broken out in the UK and South Africa – and both have now been detected in patients in the US.
Despite the silver lining, Cuomo also said on Saturday that the dark cloud of the pandemic remains over the state – the general positivity rate in New York ticked up the previous day, from 4.65 to 4.75 percent.
Health experts also warn that a reduction in tests in recent weeks could create a false drop in the number of new cases, the follow-up project said.
As of Sunday, the United States had more than 26 million cases and 440,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.