United States: COVID Cases Drop 47% in One Week

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United States
COVID Cases Drop 47% in One Week

The rate of COVID-19 case growth has decreased in 44 states over the past week. There were about 717,800 new cases reported in the US on Monday, a steep drop from the 1.4 million seen seven days earlier on January 10th, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Despite case numbers dropping 47% over the last week and signs of case counts peaking or plateauing in individual states, many officials warn the nationwide Omicron peak is still yet to come. Experts also say that data on deaths and hospitalizations tend to lag behind pure case numbers by about two weeks, and that many hospitals are still overwhelmed with Covid patients. The Omicron wave began in the Northeast area of the country and quickly spread to other regions, therefore the country is not moving at the same pace through this variant wave.

This map depicts the daily new confirmed COVID cases per one million people for January 18, 2022. Click on the map to learn more.

Further Reading: NY Post, Daily Mail, Epoch Times, Indian Express, FOX, CNN

Graphic Source: Our World in Data
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Israel
Palestinian Family Evicted
Israeli police evicted the families living in two contested properties in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, overnight and immediately demolished the buildings following years of legal battles, protests, and violence over the site. The owner of one of the homes threatened at one point to set himself, the building, and his family on fire rather than allow the eviction action, but he eventually removed himself peacefully before he and his family were arrested. Israeli authorities have contended that multiple buildings in Sheikh Jarrah were built illegally and that residents have been given ample opportunity to work through the eviction process peaceably, while the residents contend the homes were built prior to a 1967 agreement protecting the homes. Israeli municipal planners have said that the school and recreation facilities planned for the site will be available to the Arab residents of the area. Around 200 more families in East Jerusalem face similar eviction orders.

This map depicts the areas of East Jerusalem where Israeli authorities and Palestinian Arab residents are at odds over building rights. Click on the map to learn more.

Further Reading: NBC News, The Guardian, Jerusalem Post, Washington Post

Graphic Source: BBC
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Space
Building a 3D Map of the Cosmos
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) on the Mayall Telescope in Arizona has recently completed a first run at mapping the entire cosmos, yielding new insights into the structure of the universe. DESI began its survey of space in mid-2021, and in that time it has already identified 7.5 million separate galaxies stretching out 5 billion light-years, making it the largest and most detailed map of the universe ever produced. DESI works by analyzing light given off by galaxies as their outward motion causes the light to shift into the red end of the spectrum. The project will continue through 2026, and through that time DESI is anticipated to identify another 35 million galaxies.

This map depicts the galaxies and structures identified by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument in its first sweep to map the entire universe. Click on the map to learn more.

Further Reading: Newsweek, Sci-News, Boy Genius Report
Graphic Source: New Atlas

Yesterday’s Answer

Q: Which country saw the most volcanic eruptions in 2021?

A: Indonesia
In 2021, there were 78 confirmed volcanic eruptions from 74 different volcanoes across the globe. The majority of eruptions happened in Indonesia, recording 14 separate eruptions in the country alone. Indonesia’s geography is dominated with volcanoes – about 150 of them – which were formed due to subduction processes occurring regularly where the Eurasian and Indo-Australian tectonic plates collide. Volcanic eruptions are unique across Indonesia, with studies showing the different forms of eruption are influenced by the structure of rocks of the volcanoes.

Source

Today’s Question

Q: Which island nation did Christopher Columbus sight in 1494, calling it “Santiago?” (Hint: Its indigenous name remained!)

Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.

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United States: COVID Cases Drop 47% in One Week