This week’s edition of our 5 Slide Series provides updates of weekly trends in COVID cases, deaths, and vaccinations at both the state and national level. We show both positive and concerning news from the front of the battle against the pandemic. First, both confirmed cases and deaths have declined week-over-week (April 14-20 vs April 7-April 13), but average cases for the month of April have been 15% higher than their March monthly average. New daily deaths, meanwhile, have plummeted to a low not seen in months. Deaths for the month of April have so far averaged 674 a day—37% and 70% below the March and February monthly averages, respectively.

Perhaps the largest contributor for these dynamics is the ramp up in vaccinations. Six out of every 10 vaccinations have occurred since March 1, and April has been the strongest month so far in terms of the average daily rate of vaccines given at 2.8 million per day. While it took 86 days to administer the first 100 million doses, it only took 36 days to administer the next 100 million. Overall, more than two in five people in the country has been vaccinated at least once, including half of adults and more than 80% of those ages 65 and up. Over 215 million vaccine doses have now been given as of April 20.

There is lingering concern, however, as the rate of vaccination has dipped this week from the previous week, falling by nearly 10%. This slump is likely due to a combination of the halting of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine and considerable vaccine hesitancy among large proportions of adults—especially in the Midwest and the South, creating conditions where vaccine supply is quickly outstripping demand. The current 7-day average rate of daily vaccinations is about 2.5 million—significantly below the 3 million mark that was reached earlier in the month.