PA and 4 Other States Account for Nearly Half of All New Cases

According to Johns Hopkins University, nearly half of new coronavirus infections nationwide are in just five states — a situation that is putting pressure on the federal government to consider changing how it distributes vaccines by sending more doses to hot spots.

Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania together reported 44% of the nation’s new COVID-19 infections, or nearly 197,500 new cases, in the latest available seven-day period, according to state health agency data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Total U.S. infections during the same week numbered more than 452,000. As of Tuesday, 31 states were reporting seven-day averages of fewer than 1,000 new daily cases.

Talk of sending extra shots to states struggling with outbreaks comes at a time when the number of daily infections in the U.S. has fallen dramatically compared to a January spike following the holiday season. President Joe Biden’s administration has shown no signs of shifting from its policy of dividing vaccine doses among states based on population.