Coronavirus Latest: Tri-State Region Reaches Highest Daily Number Of COVID-19 Cases Since May
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new milestone was reached in the tri-state region Thursday. We've reached the highest daily numbers of COVID-19 cases since May.
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware each marked dramatic increases in positive tests, following the national trend.
It's an ironic and difficult situation. Vaccination levels in the Philadelphia region are pretty good, but that hasn't stopped the flood of new cases.
The CDC COVID-19 transmission map has several additional local counties now in red, which is the highest level. The rest of the tri-state region is in the substantial range, which is in orange.
Pennsylvania has 1,700 new cases, the largest one day increase since late May. The state has averaged over 1,000 new cases in the last week.
New Jersey also recorded its highest single-day number with 1,300 daily cases. It's a 367% increase from a month ago. Burlington and Cumberland Counties have now joined Cape May County as hot spots.
In Delaware, Kent County has moved into the red category, or the high range.
"Things have significantly changed in terms of the number of positive cases," Delaware Gov. John Carney said.
Carney says there's been an 80% increase in COVID cases in Delaware. Much of the blame falls on younger people who are not vaccinated.
The governor says he's considering a number of new requirements.
"The delta variant is spreading among that population who are not vaccinated. Those folks that are unvaccinated are prolonging the pandemic. They're bringing us to a place where we reconsider mitigation efforts," Carney said.
Nationally, the latest models project there could be from 350,000 to 1.8 million new COVID cases by the end of August and deaths could follow with up to 9,100 new deaths.
"These cases are concentrated in communities with low vaccination rates," White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said.
The White House COVID-19 Response Team said the delta variant continues to drive the spike in cases.
"Across the board we are seeing increases in cases and hospitalizations in all age groups," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
White House officials are especially concerned about low vaccination rates among teenagers.
On Thursday, they unveiled a new push to get more vaccinated before the start of the school year, which is just weeks away.