U.S. reports highest daily COVID-19 cases since February

WASHINGTON, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The United States registered over 100,000 daily COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest record since early February this year.

A total of 101,171 new cases were reported across the country on Friday, according to the data updated Saturday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The new figure brought the seven-day average daily increase of cases to 72,493, also the highest since mid February.

COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are once again increasing in nearly all U.S. states, fueled by the Delta variant, which is much more contagious than past versions of the virus.

The current seven-day average of daily new cases increased 64.1 percent compared with the previous seven-day data, according to a CDC weekly report.

The current seven-day average of new hospitalized cases, which stood at 5,475, is a 46.3 percent increase from the previous week, according to the CDC.

The seven-day average for new COVID-19 hospital admissions has consistently increased since June 25.

Meanwhile, the average daily new deaths have also increased 33.3 percent compared with the previous week, according to the CDC.

The recent surge was driven by the Delta variant, which has been and will continue to be the predominant lineage circulating in the country.

The Delta variant has quickly grown from less than 1 percent of cases in May to more than 80 percent now, said the CDC on its website.

Delta spreads about twice as easily from one person to another than previous strains of the virus, according to the agency.

Nationally, the proportion of cases attributed to Delta variant is predicted to increase to 82.2 percent, according to the CDC.

As COVID-19 infections continue to rise nationwide, the CDC has updated its position on masking, urging vaccinated Americans to resume wearing masks in schools and in public indoor spaces in COVID-19 hot spots across the country.