U.S. CDC voices concern over new surge in COVID-19 cases due to easing of restrictions, more travel: media

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Xinhua) -- The United States could be headed for an avoidable surge in COVID-19 cases as more states relax prevention measures and more people travel around the country, a top U.S. health official was quoted by VOA news as saying in a recent report.

During a virtual White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing, Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said the United States saw the seven-day average of new daily cases climb to 53,800 over the past week, VOA news reported in its report, while the two-week average has wavered between 50,000 to 60,000 cases per day.

According to the report, the CDC director warned that U.S. states are seeing an increasing number of new cases attributed to variant strains of the virus, particularly in California -- the nation's most populous state -- where a new variant accounts for 52 percent of new infections.

The United States is at a critical point in the pandemic and is worried if the nation does not take the correct actions, it is headed for an "avoidable surge," VOA news quoted the official as saying.