New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the latest COVID-19 numbers in the United States, based on data for the week ending December 21.
The national test positivity rate is 7. 5%, up 1. 9% from last week, with clear regional differences in where more COVID-19 tests are coming back positive.
The states with the highest percentage of test positivity are in region 10, the northwest, with 9.4 percent: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
The fifth region is close, with 9. 2 in the Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
At the other end of the spectrum, the lowest COVID-19 test positivity rates are in region 9, in the west, with 1.5 percent: Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada.
There are also lower than average rates of test positivity in region 4 (from Florida to Kentucky), region 3 (from Virginia to Pennsylvania) and region 2 (New York and New Jersey).
In the rest of the country (the northern, central-southern and easternmost states) they are 5% or more.
“Many respiratory viral illnesses peak in winter due to environmental and human behavior,” a CDC spokesperson told Newsweek.
“COVID-19 increases in the winter and at times of the year, adding summer, due to new variants and waning immunity from past infections and vaccines. “
The spokesperson explained that apparent regional differences were more complicated when bearing in mind other ways CDC measures COVID-19 levels, including emergency department visits and wastewater viral activity levels.
“Taken together, these data suggest a more complex geographic pattern of COVID-19 activity is currently occurring, which is to be expected as these are early signs of a winter (seasonal) wave.”
In the week ending December 21, 1.1 percent of deaths were from COVID-19, according to CDC.
In addition, 0. 9% of weekly emergency room visits were similar to COVID-19, in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, and New Mexico.
However, the weekly rate of COVID-19-related hospitalizations has decreased from last week, from 1. 6 compared to 100,000 for the week ending December 21, to 2. 1 last week and 2, 0 the previous week.
In total, there have been more than 1. 2 million COVID-19 deaths in the United States since the pandemic began.
The CDC spokesperson said everyone 6 months and older should receive the COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-2025 season.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is helping you from serious illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths,” they said.
Is there a health problem that’s worrying you? Do you have a question about COVID-19? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
Correction as of 06/01/2025, 8:12 a. m. ET: This article was updated to explain that there have been 1. 2 million deaths from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic and not in the last 3 months.
Hatty Willmoth is a Newsweek food and nutrition reporter based in London, UK. He has extensively covered special diets, gut fitness and functional medicine. Hatty joined Newsweek in 2024 from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION) and has previously worked at Time & Leisure and South West Londoner, and written freelance articles for The Independent, Fit&Well, Sussex Bylines and Earn It. In July 2024 won an independent journalism award in the early career category for her investigation into the Bruderhof community. He graduated from the University of Cambridge and News Associates. You can contact Hatty by emailing h. willmoth@newsweek. com or messaging on social media (@hattywillmoth). He speaks English and a little French.