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Younger people who haven’t been vaccinated are helping drive a rise in new Covid-19 cases, health officials are finding. Five states—Michigan, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey—account for some 42% of newly reported cases. In Michigan, adults aged 20 to 39 have the highest daily case rates, new data show. Case rates for children aged 19 and under are at a record, more than quadruple from a month ago. There were 301 reported school outbreaks as of early last week, up from 248 the week prior, according to state data. (West and Ansari, 4/12)

The U.S. is seeing increasing reports of Covid-19 cases linked to youth sports, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday. The connection between youth sports and increased coronavirus cases comes as the highly infectious B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the U.K. has become the most common Covid strain in the U.S. (Miao, 4/9)

As Michigan leads the country in another COVID-19 surge with case numbers approaching the worst period of the pandemic, health officials say Wisconsin could follow suit if residents are not vigilant about wearing masks and social distancing. The latest surge in Michigan appears to have risen out of a “perfect storm” of relaxing state public health orders at the same time that the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant took off, said Marianne Udow-Phillips, director of the Center for Health research Transformation at the University of Michigan. (Linnane, Chen and Bannon, 4/10)

In related news about the spread of the coronavirus —

For the third straight week, new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing, according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walenky. "Cases and emergency room visits are up," Walensky said Friday. "We are seeing these increases in younger adults, most of whom have not yet been vaccinated." (Maxouris, Yan and Colbert, 4/11)

Coronavirus cases and related hospitalizations are rising in Pennsylvania, according to state health data. The state on Thursday saw some 4,746 additional cases of the novel virus, marking the third day in a row daily new cases have surpassed 4,000, according to estimates from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The 7-day average of new cases in the state is also on the incline, rising to 4,328 on Thursday, representing a roughly 6% increase from a week prior. Overall, 1,064,092 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported in the state to date. (Farber, 4/10)

The COVID-19 death toll in California has exceeded 60,000, an alarming statistic that comes even as conditions in the state continue to improve. The state’s toll represents 10.7% of COVID-19 deaths nationwide. California is home to about 12% of Americans. Although California’s death toll was lower per capita than in the other most populous states, COVID-19 has hit some communities particularly hard. The state’s lower-income Latino communities — home to many essential workers who often live in crowded housing — saw disproportionately high numbers of deaths while affluent areas saw lower numbers. (Lin II and Money, 4/11)

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With the majority of states having already lifted vaccine restrictions to all adults in recent weeks, the United States grows ever closer to President Joe Biden's two vaccine goals. Three more will join them this week: First, Illinois will open up vaccine eligibility to those 16 and older Monday, and following close behind are Washington state and California on Thursday. It all comes nearly a week before Biden's goal for states to make all adults in the U.S. eligible for coronavirus vaccines, which is Monday, April 19. The six remaining states after this week will open up at or before that date. (Aspegren, 4/12)

Print article Alaskans letting their guard down — not coronavirus variants — are likely responsible for the recent rise in cases in the state, health officials said this week. Contagious COVID-19 mutations that can partially evade vaccines and stall the pandemic’s end are part of a haunting scenario playing out in other states and countries, which have seen surges driven by variants many months into the pandemic. The variant first identified in England last year is now the most dominant strain in the U.S., the director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. (Berman, 4/10)

During the pandemic, Native Americans have had 2.2 times greater COVID-19 case incidence and almost quadruple the death rate of White people in Montana, according to a study today in Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). A separate MMWR report looked at COVID-19 cases and response on a 10,000-member tribal reservation in Montana, while a third detailed control efforts taken on a North Dakota reservation. (McLernon, 4/9)