Is COVID retreating in the U.S.? Data paints encouraging scenario

New coronavirus cases are falling in parts of the United States hardest hit by the fast-spreading Omicron variant, according to a Reuters analysis of public health data, offering an early indication the virus might once again be on retreat. COVID-19 infections have decreased in 15 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, an analysis of the past week through Wednesday compared with the prior week showed. In the Northeast, which saw some of the highest case loads during the latest surge, infections are down 36% week-over-week. The drop was more modest at the national level with the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases falling 1% as of Wednesday, according to the Reuters tally. COVID-19 data often lag a few days behind the actual state of affairs. 'Certainly it bodes well for us in terms of the trajectory of Omicron,' said Wafaa El-Sadr, a professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University in New York City. While falling case numbers in parts of the country that were first and hard-hit by the variant offer tangible hope of turning a corner, infections are still on the rise across swathes of the United States. Cases are still climbing in the Midwest, which has the highest week-over-week increase at 14%, followed by the South at 8% and Western states at 7%, although the increase has slowed considerably in recent weeks.