WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - About 42,018 new cases were reported in the United States on April 18, taking total cases to 28.2 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
The country is averaging about 70,000 cases a day, about 16,000 more than a month ago. Florida reported the highest number of new cases during the period at 6,834; while New York 5,641; New Jersey 3,149; Illinois 2,659 and Pennsylvania 2,612.
Around 313 new deaths were reported, taking the total number of deaths to 567,217.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has announced that all adults in every U.S. state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico are now eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
'Folks, I have good news,' Biden said in a White House clip. 'Everybody is eligible, as of today, to get the vaccine. We have enough of it; you need to be protected, and you need, in turn, to protect your neighbors and your family. So please, get the vaccine.'
The U.S. is currently administering an average of 3.2 million doses a day, up from roughly 2.5 million a month before. Over 131 million people, or half of all American adults, has received at least one shot as of Sunday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and about 84.3 million people have been fully vaccinated.
In other developments, Anthony Fauci, the top infectious-disease expert in the country, said the nationwide halt in the use of Johnson & Johnson's single-dose coronavirus vaccine is likely to be lifted by Friday.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX