US now approaching January's hospitalization peak
Mississippi has the country's highest COVID-19 case rate, followed by Florida, Kentucky and Louisiana, according to federal data.
With more than 101,000 Americans now hospitalized with COVID-19, the U.S. is steadily approaching its hospitalization peak from early January, when more than 125,000 patients were hospitalized at one time, according to federal data.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/covid-hospital-file-ap-jef-210831_1630429558488_hpMain.jpg)
A little over two months ago, less than 12,000 patients were in U.S. hospitals, according to federal data.
But there has been improvement when it comes to vaccinations.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/vaccine-sticker-file-gty-jef-210831_1630429558492_hpMain.jpg)
One week after the FDA fully approved the Pfizer vaccine, initial data from an ABC News analysis indicates that the U.S. has seen a slight uptick in the average number of Americans going out to get their first vaccine dose.
In the week prior to the full approval, an average of about 404,000 Americans were initiating vaccination each day. Now, about 473,000 Americans are getting their first shot each day -- a 17% increase.
-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos