New COVID cases are plunging all across America, and Omicron's death toll is also slowing down.
The big picture: The U.S. is on its way out of this wave of the pandemic after less than two months.
By the numbers: Nationwide, the U.S. is now averaging roughly 240,000 new cases per day — a 61% drop over the past two weeks.
- Maryland and Washington, D.C., have the lowest case counts in the country, each with fewer than 30 cases per 100,000 people, on average.
- Oklahoma, meanwhile, saw the biggest improvement over the past two weeks, and is now sitting at an average of about 70 new cases per 100,000 people.
Deaths are still rising, but those increases are slowing down considerably — a sign that they may soon begin to decline.
- The U.S. is now averaging roughly 2,500 new deaths per day. Those deaths are almost entirely preventable, with vaccines. A smaller outbreak will also help save lives.
- The total number of U.S. COVID deaths has passed 900,000.