COVID Deaths Continue to Decline in U.S.

In a sign that the coronavirus pandemic is beginning to ebb in America, a new analysis finds the seven-day average of new COVID-19 deaths in the United States has hit its lowest point since last October.

As of Wednesday, 684 new deaths had been reported, data from Johns Hopkins University showed. That's roughly an 80% drop since January, CNN reported. And the decline has been sure and steady in recent months: Since the start of 2021, the seven-day average number of COVID-19 deaths has decreased.

What is fueling the promising trend? Experts say the country's aggressive vaccination drive has played a big part.

COVID-19 vaccinations are already driving down death rates among vulnerable groups in the United States, such as older adults, Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in Baltimore, told CNN on Thursday.