Washington, Nov 23 (IANS): The seven-day average of reported Covid-19 infections in the US has increased by 18 per cent, said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky.

The latest seven-day average of cases is 92,800 per day, an 18 per cent surge from last week and hospitalisation rates have increased 6 per cent with a daily average of 5,600, Xinhua news agency quoted Walensky as saying at a White House briefing on Monday.

"Heading into the winter months, when respiratory viruses are more likely to spread, and with plans for increased holiday season travel and gatherings, boosting people's overall protection against Covid-19 disease and death was important to do now," Walensky said.

The unvaccinated continue to drive the pandemic, she said.

According to the most up-to-date information on the CDC data tracker, unvaccinated people are six times more likely to test positive for the virus, nine times more likely to be hospitalised, and 14 times more likely to die.

About 47 million eligible American adults and 12 million eligible teens are still not vaccinated, Walensky said.

Till date, 196.4 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against the virus, and 36.1 million have received a booster dose, according to CDC data.

As of Tuesday, the US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 47,886,798 and 772,414.