The number of new coronavirus cases is hitting a new high, surpassing the single day totals and seven-day running average of new cases seen during the previous peak in January, worldometers reports.
Worldwide the world hit 845,000 new cases Saturday and 832,000 Sunday, pushing the seven-day running average to 760,000, the highest it’s ever been. For the entire week, there were 5.2 million confirmed new cases, a new weekly record and a 12% increase from the previous week
The surge comes as variants are sweeping the world: the b.1.1.7 variant, commonly referred to as the UK strain, is the predominant strain in new US cases, and a new variant, called the Indian strain which the BBC reports is believed to be more infectious than others and highly resistant to existing vaccines.