The Current, Deadly U.S. Coronavirus Surge Has Peaked, Researchers Say

A patient lies on a stretcher in the hallway of the overloaded Emergency Room at Providence St. Mary Medical Center amid a surge in COVID-19 patients in Southern California in late December. Average new daily infections are now going down in California and much of the country.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

The devastating fall and winter wave of coronavirus infections that is causing so much misery across the U.S. appears to have finally peaked, according to several researchers who are closely tracking the virus.

While another surge remains possible, especially with new, more infectious variants on the horizon, the number of new daily infections in the current wave appears to have hit a high in the past week or two and has been steadily declining in most states since, the researchers say.

“Yes, we have peaked in terms of cases,” says Ali Mokdad, who has been tracking the pandemic at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. “We are coming down, slowly. This is very good news — very good news.”