COVID-19 cases are down in every state for the first time since the pandemic began, President Joe Biden said during a May 17 news briefing.
Nationwide, new cases peaked in mid-January, and then, as the vaccination effort accelerated, fell in February and through most of March. A smaller case surge peaked in mid-April, but has dropped about 32 percent over the last two weeks, reports The New York Times.
After experiencing COVID-19 surges earlier this year, Northeastern states are reporting significant declines in both cases and hospitalizations. Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island have all reported many fewer cases in recent weeks.
In Rhode Island, new infections dropped 48 percent and hospitalizations dropped 23 percent over the past two weeks, with state officials citing an increasing number of vaccinations as the reason for the decline. About 57 percent of Rhode Island's population has received at least one vaccine dose and 46 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Times.
In Pennsylvania, cases have dropped 44 percent and hospitalizations have fallen 28 percent over the last two weeks. Statewide, cases began to rise in mid-March, and continued to rise until starting to descend in late April. About 55 percent of the state has received at least one shot, while 39 percent are fully inoculated.