CORONAVIRUS UPDATE  INFECTIONS ARE TRENDING UPWARD IN THE MIDWEST

Novel coronavirus infections are trending upward across the Midwest, raising concerns that those states are struggling to contain their outbreaks even as the nation’s total daily caseload continues to decline.

In this July 8 photo, Des Moines Public Schools custodian Joel Cruz cleans a desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School in Des Moines. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)© Charlie Neibergall/AP In this July 8 photo, Des Moines Public Schools custodian Joel Cruz cleans a desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School in Des Moines. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

Seven-day averages for new cases rose over the past week in the Dakotas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wyoming, according to tracking by The Washington Post. South Dakota and Wyoming experienced the biggest jumps, with average daily caseloads up 58 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

Other states reported progress against the virus, though it appeared to be marginal in some