New daily cases of coronavirus fell more than 100,000 on Thursday after falling below that threshold for the first time since the fall earlier in the week.
The general trend in recent weeks remains positive, as cases and hospitalizations have fallen from January highs.
But Thursday’s 103,000 cases, according to the COVID Monitoring Project, recall that the spread of the virus is still at extremely high levels and that the most contagious variants threaten to start another increase.
Cases fell 23 percent from last week and 57 percent from January peak. Hospitalizations have dropped 42 percent from their high-water marks, according to the COVID monitoring project.
But the toll of the virus remains intense, with about 3,000 people dying every day. Deaths are a lagging indicator, so falling cases will take longer to show up.
And the threat of more contagious variants, in particular one first identified in the UK, known as B.1.1.7, threatens to undo downward trends.
A race has essentially begun between the new variants and vaccinations. Experts say that the sooner people can be vaccinated, the more they will do to prevent a new rise in variants.
Other precautions remain key, such as wearing a mask, avoiding meetings inside, and keeping your distance from others.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday stressed that it is important to wear a mask that fits well and said wearing a fabric mask over a medical procedure mask can significantly reduce transmission.