The United States is nearing a grim milestone — the nation’s 1 millionth death caused by COVID-19.

Although there had been a tapering off of new cases in recent months, we now are seeing a rapid rise nationwide. America's daily COVID-19 cases have surged 59 percent in two weeks.

Figures from states, counties and local health officials show the U.S. now is recording about 67,900 infections a day on average, up from 46,300 some 14 days earlier. Last week cases were on the rise in more than 40 states, including Pennsylvania.

The increases come after weeks of steady upticks in infections across the country, subsequent to the removal of masking requirements and mitigation measures in many states and cities.

Anthony Fauci caused a stir recently when he said on national television that the United States was “out of the pandemic phase.” Nationwide, epidemiologists cringed.

Fauci quickly backtracked, later acknowledging that the world still is in the midst of a pandemic, but said the U.S. was past the “full-blown” phase of COVID-19, transitioning to a more predictable, “controlled” pattern over the long term.

When the coronavirus was in retreat across the United States in late February, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new recommendations, including — among other guidelines — relaxing recommendations on wearing face masks.

For the first time in months, daily hospital admission levels and new COVID-19-related deaths in the United States both are projected to increase during the next four weeks, according to updated forecast models used by the CDC. The CDC forecast now predicts that approximately 5,000 deaths will occur over the next two weeks.

Hospitalizations are rising again nationally. As of Thursday, an average of more than 18,000 people with the coronavirus are in American hospitals, an increase of 20 percent from two weeks ago.

Pennsylvania’s cases of coronavirus have continued to climb, as the seven-day average surpassed 2,000 new cases per day Tuesday and Wednesday, with 2,133. The rate of 2,133 new cases per day is 57% higher than the average was two weeks ago, and five out of the seven days in the window had increases over 2,000 cases.

The Biden administration is warning that the United States could see 100 million coronavirus infections and a potentially significant wave of deaths this fall and winter, driven by new omicron subvariants that have shown a remarkable ability to escape immunity.

Several experts agreed the anticipated surge this fall and winter likely would be tied to waning immunity from vaccines and infections, loosened restrictions and the rise of variants better able to escape immune protections.

The coronavirus most likely will be with for a while. It still is a threat. Be careful. Be safe.

— JGG