US COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to decline

Average daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are continuing to drop in an encouraging sign that the Omicron-fueled wave is slowing in the United States. 

On Saturday, total confirmed COVID-19 cases barely exceeded 100,000, a swift decline from five weeks ago when cases stood at around 800,850, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

COVID-19 cases are also declining across the globe, with the World Health Organization reporting that the number of new cases around the world fell 21 percent in the last week, the third consecutive week that cases have dropped. 

The downturn comes as the seven-day average of daily COVID cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Massachusetts are also continuing to decline, according to data from the state Department of Public Health