The seven-day average of new COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. has reached its lowest since October, according to a CNN analysis of Johns Hopkins University data reported Thursday.
Johns Hopkins University data showed 684 new deaths were reported as of Wednesday, representing an 80% decrease since January. The seven-day average number of COVID-19 deaths has consistently decreased since the beginning of 2021.
Experts believe vaccinations have contributed to the drop in deaths.
Following weeks of declines, the rate of daily vaccinations in the U.S. has dramatically upped.
According to federal statistics, the country has reported an average of 2.2 million shots per day over the past week - up marginally from the most recent low reported Saturday when it fell below 2 million for the first time since early March.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel is expected to vote next week on whether to recommend extending the use of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 15. An endorsement is the last move before officials send states the green light to begin vaccinating millions of teenagers as early as Thursday.
According to centers data, the U.S. has averaged 2.2 million confirmed daily vaccinations over the past week - down 35% from the peak level in mid-April but up over the past few days.
Although it is too early to tell if this recent rise will become a lasting trend, the data does indicate an increase in confirmed first doses, suggesting that more people are enrolling in a vaccination program.
However, experts warn that to defeat the virus, more Americans must be vaccinated, especially young people, some of whom are still reluctant or believe they don't have as much to fear from the virus.
Currently, anyone aged 16 and up is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. However, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 36% of adults under the age of 35 do not plan to get one.
Experts estimate that to prevent the virus from spreading, at least 80% of the U.S. population must be immune. So far, roughly 43% of the country has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and about 29.5% is fully vaccinated, centers data says.
