New COVID-19 cases are creeping up once more as the delta variant takes hold, generating fresh concerns that the still-recovering economy could take another ding.

In June, the seven-day average for new cases dropped to just above 11,000 nationwide, creating optimism that the pandemic would soon be in the country’s collective rearview mirror. Although now, new daily cases, the overwhelming majority of which among the unvaccinated, have more than quadrupled.