The press that the USA is getting is worse than the actual situation, but the only reason the actual situation is better than advertised is aggressive lockdowns implemented at the state and local levels.
I would not be in a hurry to leave NZ to come to the US under the best of circumstances, and certainly not now. Unfortunately I am not planning on being able to visit NZ as a US citizen until late 2021, coinciding with widescale availability of a vaccine. If a visit happens sooner I will be pleasantly surprised.