Winter and cold weather could bring trouble

Miami, Florida — The U.S. is averaging about 73,000 new cases per day, dramatically lower than the 173,000 recorded on Sept. 13. And the number of Americans in the hospital with COVID-19 has plummeted by about half to around 47,000 since early September.

In Florida, Miami-Dade County’s mask mandate could be loosened by the end of October if the encouraging numbers continue, and nearby Broward County is discussing the relaxation of its requirement on Tuesday.

According to the superintendent in metro Atlanta, he will consider waiving mask requirements at individual schools.

With about 95% of eligible people at Hopkinton High Massachusetts inoculated, school leaders voted to allow vaccinated students and staff to go maskless for a three-week trial period starting Nov. 1.

However, there are some troubling indicators, including the onset of cold weather, which sends people indoors, where the virus can more easily spread.

COVID-19 deaths per day have begun to creep back up again after a decline that started in late September. Deaths are running at about 1,700 per day, up from close to 1,500 two weeks ago.

The virus is still striking unvaccinated communities, many of them rural areas in states including North Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, and Minnesota.

Meanwhile, more than 67% of the nation’s eligible population is fully vaccinated, and the Biden administration is getting closer to enacting a workplace vaccine mandate for every business in the country with more than 100 employees.