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Data: N.Y. Times; Cartogram: Kavya Beheraj/Axios 

The COVID wave is accelerating across the U.S., with Maine being the only state to report a slight decline in the last two weeks.

Why it matters: A 53% jump in cases and a rise in hospitalizations reflects how case growth has moved beyond the Northeast, with metropolitan areas with high vaccination rates increasingly accounting for a higher share of disease spread. 

That hasn't appreciably changed public behavior, with one in three Americans now saying the pandemic is over, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

Concern among Americans ticked up slightly, the poll showed. 

"But there's absolutely no behavior change. If anything, behaviors are moving in the other direction," said Ipsos pollster and senior vice president Chris Jackson, pointing to more time spent with friends and family and steady rates of dining out. 

By the numbers: There were roughly 96,000 new daily cases over the last week, up more than 50% from about 62,500 two weeks ago.

The highest reported case rates continue to be in the northeast with Connecticut and Rhode Island both posting more than 76 new cases per 100,000 people. Massachusetts tallied 66 new cases per 100,000.

States with some of the biggest recent case jumps include Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey and Delaware. 

Eight states are still reporting new case rates in below 10 new cases per 100,000 people, including Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama.

Zoom in: The U.S. averaged roughly 300 daily deaths, d0wn 11% from about 340 two weeks ago.

That returns the U.S. to a trend of declining COVID deaths after a 7% increase last week.

The big picture: The U.S. COVID death toll officially surpassed 1 million this week.

The Ipsos poll found respondents are more concerned about spreading COVID-19 to others or being inconvenienced by public health restrictions than getting sick or dying — regardless of vaccination status.

"There appears to be a relatively small amount of Americans who are feeling any personal sense of risk," Jackson said. 

COVID cases rise in almost every state

The COVID wave is accelerating across the U.S.

Visuals

Coronavirus

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID wave" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/15/coronavirus-latest-news-quick-highlights" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/15/coronavirus-latest-news-quick-highlights" target="_self">COVID wave</a> is accelerating across the U.S., with Maine being the only state to report a slight decline in the last two weeks.Why it matters: A 53% jump in cases and a rise in hospitalizations reflects how case growth has moved beyond the Northeast, with metropolitan areas with high vaccination rates increasingly accounting for a higher share of disease spread.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Health

Deaths from COVID-19 are on the rise again after several weeks of upward ticking case rates sparked by Omicron variants.

Driving the news: The U.S. averaged roughly 365 daily deaths, up 7% from about 342 two weeks ago. That's still a fraction of where things stood several months ago when the daily average was in the thousands.

This week, the U.S. will likely reach 1 million deaths from COVID. As the milestone nears, President Biden said that "we must not grow numb to such sorrow. To heal, we must remember. We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible."

Yes, but: The increase in deaths comes after several weeks of declines. While increasingly transmissible Omicron variants have generally not appeared to cause more serious illness, some people are still dying.

Waning immunity and low booster uptake has also meant a growing share of the deaths are among the vaccinated, officials warn.

By the numbers: There were roughly 77,000 new daily cases over the last week, up 44% from about 53,000 two weeks ago.

Reported cases rates remained highest in the Northeast, with Rhode Island marking 67.3 new cases per 100,000 people, up from 38.4 per 100,000 two weeks ago.

Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine were the four states with 50 or more new cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks.

On the flip side, 15 states reported having 10 or fewer new cases per 100,00o people over the same time, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming. 

Five states reported declines in COVID case rates, including Montana, which reported 5.2 new cases per 100,000 people, down from 5.5 per 100,000 two weeks ago. Alaska, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Washington also reported dips. D.C. also reported a drop, however, the CDC said Wednesday the District had a two-week lapse in reporting, Axios' Chelsea Cirruzzo reports.

Reality check: As we've warned before, the data on new cases are getting less reliable as the public testing infrastructure continues to wind down and home test results are less likely to be reported to officials. 

But it still offers a window into the broad trends of COVID spread in the states.

The bottom line: As variants spread, warm weather returns and more people let their guard down, cases are on the rise. While numbers appear far better than what they once were, officials warn the virus isn't done with us yet.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with a statement from President Biden.

Deaths from COVID begin to rise again

COVID-19

Deaths from COVID-19 are on the rise again after several weeks of upward ticking case rates sparked by Omicron variants.Driving the news: The U.S. averaged roughly 365 daily deaths, up 7% from about 342 two weeks ago. That&#x27;s still a fraction of where things stood several months ago when the daily average was in the thousands.

An ongoing surge of reported COVID cases in the Northeast showed signs of easing even as cases continued to jump around the rest of the country. 

Why it matters: While this data likely understates the actual number of cases, it's an indicator of a "hidden wave" of cases burning through social circles across the U.S. right now even as America fights to get back to normalcy.

It comes as anecdotal reports of COVID among groups of friends, and a slew of confirmed cases of high-profile individuals, most recently Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. 

By the numbers: There were roughly 108,000 new daily cases over the last week, up 28% from about 84,500 two weeks ago.

Hawaii had the highest case rate, reporting 71 new cases per 100,000 people over the last two weeks. It was one of more than a dozen states with 40 or more new cases per 100,000 people in that time period.

States in the Northeast continued to report some of the highest case rates in the nation even as they showed declines in their overall numbers over the past two weeks. Rhode Island, which reported a dip in overall cases, posted 69 new cases per 100,000 people. 

Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin all reported drops.

Between the lines: Average deaths rose 1% over the past two weeks, staying at roughly 330 a day.

Reality check: The data on new cases is getting less reliable as more people turn to home test results rather than publicly-reporting testing. But it still offers a window into the broad trends of COVID spread.

The bottom line: COVID is spreading. And as safety measures continue to take the back burner, viruses that were less prevalent during lockdowns have returned "in unexpected ways," STAT reported this week. 

Hawaii reports highest rate of new COVID cases

An ongoing surge of reported COVID cases in the northeast showed signs of easing even as cases continued to jump around the country.

Data graphics

An ongoing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="surge of reported COVID cases" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/15/coronavirus-latest-news-quick-highlights" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/15/coronavirus-latest-news-quick-highlights" target="_self">surge of reported COVID cases</a> in the Northeast showed signs of easing even as cases continued to jump around the rest of the country. Why it matters: While this data likely understates the actual number of cases, it&#x27;s an indicator of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a &quot;hidden wave&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/nations-latest-covid-19-wave-largely-hidden-view/story?id=84938594" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/nations-latest-covid-19-wave-largely-hidden-view/story?id=84938594" target="_blank">a &quot;hidden wave&quot;</a> of cases burning through social circles across the U.S. right now even as America fights to get back to normalcy.<ul><li>It comes as anecdotal reports of COVID among groups of friends, and a slew of confirmed cases of high-profile individuals, most recently Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. </li></ul>

As COVID-19 began to spread in the U.S. in March 2020, Trump administration officials estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Americans might die. A worst-case scenario, they said, meant between 1.6 million and 2.2 million might perish. The figures felt staggeringly high.

Two years later, the U.S. has reached 1 million deaths even as COVID has faded from the headlines.

At this grim milestone, we sought to refocus on the scale of loss suffered. Read our special report here.

1 million COVID deaths: Visualizing the scale of loss suffered in America

Remembering the lives lost to COVID-19 in America.

A collage of vignettes depicting scenes of life during the pandemic, including a person wearing a mask, washing their hands, and a gravestone.

A collage of vignettes from life during the pandemic.

As COVID-19 began to spread in the U.S. in March 2020, Trump administration officials estimated 100,000 to 200,000 Americans might die. A worst-case scenario, they said, meant between 1.6 million and 2.2 million might perish. The figures felt staggeringly high.<ul><li>Two years later, the U.S. has reached 1 million deaths even as COVID has faded from the headlines.</li></ul>At this grim milestone, we sought to refocus on the scale of loss suffered. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Read our special report here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/one-million-us-covid-19-deaths/" data-vars-content-id="e536bd95-d702-4672-aabe-d655645eaafc" data-vars-headline="1 million COVID deaths: Visualizing the scale of loss suffered in America" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/one-million-us-covid-19-deaths/" target="_self">Read our special report here</a>.

Data: N.Y. Times; Note: Case counts may be affected by Memorial Day disruptions to reporting; Cartogram: Kavya Beheraj/Axios 

The number of reported new COVID cases — along with COVID deaths — appeared to level off over the past seven days.

The big picture: It's unclear if this is a true change or the result of a Memorial Day disruption in reporting.

But, overall reported case rates are five times higher right now than they were this time last year, even though people are far less likely to have cases reported due to home testing.

By the numbers: Last week, there were an average of 98,688 new cases reported a day, down 4% from nearly 103,000 two weeks prior. There were fewer than 20,000 a day reported at the beginning of June last year. 

Hawaii had the highest case rate with 89 new reported cases per 100,000 people. Rhode Island, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, Colorado and Alaska all had rates of 40 or more new cases per 100,000.

Oklahoma and South Dakota had the lowest case rates, with each reporting fewer than 10 new cases per 100,000.

There were about 300 deaths reported on average, down 2% from two weeks ago. 

Reality check: After surges across several states, particularly in the northeast, the last several COVID maps have indicated numbers may be dropping. 

Yes but: Research suggests that future Omicron variants may keep case levels high — and even potentially outrun the vaccines we're making to fight them.

COVID numbers appear to level off

Reported new COVID cases and COVID deaths appear to level off

The number of reported <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new COVID cases" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/15/coronavirus-latest-news-quick-highlights" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/03/15/coronavirus-latest-news-quick-highlights" target="_self">new COVID cases</a> — along with COVID deaths — appeared to level off over the past seven days.The big picture: It&#x27;s unclear if this is a true change or the result of a Memorial Day disruption in reporting.<ul><li>But, overall reported case rates are five times higher right now than they were this time last year, even though people are far less likely to have cases reported due to home testing.</li></ul>

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Kavya Beheraj

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COVID numbers appear to level off

Hawaii reports highest rate of new COVID cases

COVID cases rise in almost every state

Deaths from COVID begin to rise again

1 million COVID deaths: Visualizing the scale of loss suffered in America