COVID-19 cases in the US decline for the fifth straight week

Coronavirus cases across the United States have now declined for the fifth straight week but South Dakota has seen a 50 percent increase in infections following its annual motorcycle rally that drew in tens of thousands of people. 

The country is now averaging just over 42,000 new COVID-19 infections a day for the first time since late June. 

The number of infections dropped 17 percent in the week ending August 23 compared to the previous seven days with 35 states reporting a decline in new cases.

Eight states reported a week-on-week increase of more than 10 percent, including South Dakota, North Carolina, Mississippi, Illinois, Arkansas, Wyoming, North Dakota and Maine, according to a Reuters tally of state and county reports. 

The state that saw the biggest increase in cases last week was South Dakota at 50 percent, according to a Reuters tally of state and county reports. 

Infections have been rising since the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which drew more than 100,000 people from all over the country from August 7 to 16. 

At least two dozens COVID-19 cases in South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska have now been linked back to the rally.

South Dakota’s health department issued several warnings last week saying that three people who spent several hours at bars in Sturgis and a tattoo parlor had tested positive and had potentially exposed others. 

The state has been experiencing an uptick of COVID-19 infections with cases steadily rising over the last month. 

Meanwhile, national deaths are now also declining having dropped below an average of 1,000 per day for the first time in a month. 

The average number of fatalities due to COVID-19 was at 972 as of Monday. 

Deaths, which had been plateauing nationally for about three weeks, are a lagging indicator and can potentially rise several weeks after new cases start to decline. 

While still high, the current daily death rate in the US remains below levels seen in April when an average of 2,000 people were dying per day from COVID-19. 

Coronavirus infections in the US have now topped 5.7 million and more than 177,000 have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic started.  

The month-long national decline in cases is due mainly to the significant drop off in the hotspot states of California, Arizona, Florida and Texas after infections peaked there in mid-July.

The hotspot states, as well as others with high infections rates across the country, all implemented mitigation measures around July in a bid to stop the spread of the virus. 

Of the hotspot states driving down the national infection rate, California and Texas implemented statewide mask mandates when out in public. 

In the absence of statewide orders, some Florida and Arizona counties have required residents to wear masks. 

All four hotspot states shut down bars and all but Florida also forced gyms to close. 

The current decline in deaths and cases comes a month after President Donald Trump, who for months refused to publicly wear a mask, urged Americans to cover their faces in public to stop the spread.