{"id":110994,"date":"2021-03-31T13:25:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T13:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/?p=110994"},"modified":"2021-03-31T13:25:28","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T13:25:28","slug":"u-s-covid-cases-are-on-the-rise-as-vaccination-pace-picks-up-amid-expanded-eligibility-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fin2me.com\/business\/u-s-covid-cases-are-on-the-rise-as-vaccination-pace-picks-up-amid-expanded-eligibility-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Covid cases are on the rise as vaccination pace picks up amid expanded eligibility guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"
In this article<\/p>\n
The United States' Covid-19 cases are trending upward again, with nationwide infection levels far below January's peak of about 250,000 new cases per day but approaching numbers seen during the summer surge when average daily case counts reached nearly 70,000.<\/p>\n
In an effort to speed up the vaccination campaign, many states are expanding eligibility guidelines for who qualifies to get a shot. Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Wednesday morning that the initial period of expanded eligibility period may leave some Americans frustrated.<\/p>\n
"Some states are willing to make a broader population eligible to be vaccinated and tolerate the fact that the first two or three weeks of that are going to be messy," Gottlieb said. "Once a state\u00a0opens eligibility wide open, a lot of people are going to complain that they're going onto the website and can't get an appointment. It's going to take a couple weeks to work that excess demand off."<\/p>\n
About 66,800 daily new coronavirus cases are being reported in the U.S., based on a seven-day average of data from Johns Hopkins University. That figure has been trending upward, raising concerns about a potential "fourth wave" of infections.<\/p>\n