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U.S. Dips Below 50,000 Daily COVID-19 Cases for First Time Since June

The last time the daily tally was below 50,000 was June 30, but experts warn that a new spike could follow careless Fourth of July celebrations.

The daily COVID-19 new case count in the U.S. dipped below 50,000 for the first time in four days, according to tallies kept by Johns Hopkins University. On Saturday, the U.S. logged 45,300 new positives, down from a record high of 54,500 just four days ago. On June 15, the daily tally was less than half what it is today, at 20,000 daily cases. Experts warn that the lower figure could be a product of reduced reporting over the holiday weekend and that cases are expected to rise again after July 4th celebrations during which people did not wear masks or follow social distancing recommendations. The U.S. leads the global COVID-19 tally with more than 2.8 million cases and nearly 130,000 deaths since the pandemic began in March.