Coronavirus infections are falling or holding steady in most of the country, including the hard-hit hotspots of Arizona, California and Florida.
The big picture: A decline in new infections is always good news, but don't be fooled: the U.S. still has a very long way to go to recover from this summer's surge.
By the numbers: The U.S. is finally averaging fewer than 60,000 new cases per day. The average fell to 59,182 this past week, an 8.7% drop from the week before.
- Testing also declined nationwide, by just under 8%.
- Arizona, California and Florida all saw declines of at least 16%. Cases in Texas were up 8%.
Yes, but: The U.S. is by no means out of the woods — we're barely beginning to chip away at the stark increases of the past two months.
Between the lines: Each week, Axios tracks the change in confirmed coronavirus cases in each state. We use a seven-day average to minimize the effects of any abnormalities in how and when new cases are reported.