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Coronavirus infections jumped by almost 17% over the past week as the number of new cases increased in 38 states and Washington, D.C.
Why it matters: The U.S. is headed solidly in the wrong direction — and at a dangerous time, as experts say the fall and winter will likely make the pandemic worse. They had hoped we could get cases under control before then, but that seems unrealistic.
By the numbers: The U.S. racked up an average of up 51,000 new cases per day over the past week.
- The number of new infections rose in 38 states, spanning every region of the country.
- Three states — Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota — saw their case counts rise by over 50%.
- The pace of new infections slowed down in only one state: Texas.
Testing also increased over the past week.
- The U.S. is now conducting roughly 1 million tests per day, up about 6% from the week before.
- But the increase in cases is bigger than the increase in testing, which is a sign of an actual worsening outbreak.
The big picture: The U.S. has consistently failed to control the virus, and we are failing to control it now.
- Experts say the fall and winter will likely make things worse, as colder weather causes people to move their socializing indoors, where the virus can spread more easily. If those assumptions bear out, those increases will come on top of a caseload that's already too high.
How it works: Each week, Axios tracks the change in new infections in each state. We use a seven-day average to minimize the effects of day-to-day discrepancies in states’ reporting.