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COVID-19 cases are surging in several parts of the U. S. As summer approaches.
For the week ending June 29, the latest date for which data is available, COVID test positivity was 9% in the U. S. The U. S. Department of Agriculture and Disease Control is up 0. 8% from last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. levels higher than those observed at the beginning of May 2024, but lower than those observed in many things due to the pandemic.
Test positivity is highest in the Southwest and West of the United States, with 15. 7% positivity in the region that adds Arizona, California and Nevada, according to CDC data.
In addition, CDC wastewater data shows that COVID viral activity is low across the country, but has increased over the past month and a half. During the week ending June 22, levels were classified as “high” in the west and “moderate” in the south.
Wastewater tracking is used as an early detection tool to monitor potential long-term increases, although it may be inconsistent.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said that historically the country sees a spike in COVID cases each summer, so a “surge” is expected this time of year, as experts had predicted.
“We were hoping there would be some kind of surprise in the summer because we’ve noticed it in the past. . . COVID persists in the summer and even becomes a little more active, unlike the flu, which almost disappears in the summer,” he said. “Now that blow will pass and then, of course, we’ll pass to have the traditional winter boost later. “
Weekly hospitalizations are still near record lows but have risen in recent weeks, according to CDC data. The rates are among seniors aged 65 and older, with a rate of 7. 7 consistent with 100,000 for the week ending June 15, the latest date for which they are fully known.
By comparison, adults ages 18 to 4 and children ages 4 and older have a rate of 0. 5 per 100,000, according to the data.
Schaffner said the teams that make up hospitalizations are those with chronic conditions, such as central or lung disease, or those who are immunocompromised.
“Specifically the elderly (. . . ) with chronic diseases, immunocompromised people, especially if they are not up to date on their vaccination, this is the population that we see contributing to this increase in hospitalizations,” he said.
Meanwhile, deaths have been declining since January of this year and remain low, CDC data shows. For the week ending June 8 (the most recent date for which complete data is available as deaths are subject to reporting delays), only 283 COVID deaths were recorded. he reported, that it is a record.
Currently, KP. 2 and KP. 3, offshoots of the Omicron variant, are the dominant variants of COVID-19 in the United States, accounting for nearly a portion of all cases.
CDC officials told ABC News on Monday that “there is no evidence that KP. 2, KP. 3 or any other recent variant causes more severe disease. “
The CDC added that it is tracking all variants and recommending vaccination as the most effective way to avoid severe illness caused by COVID-19.
Schaffner agreed that the best way to avoid severe illness is to stay up to date on vaccines. High-risk teams that have not received a COVID-19 vaccine since last fall are now eligible to receive the dose that will allow them to arrive through the summer.
“Make sure that this fall, when we have any other updated vaccine, you get it at the same time as the flu vaccine,” he said. “We now update them every year, and it’s definitely going to be a drop-off regimen for all of us, but especially for other people in high-risk groups. “
He advised that people in high-risk groups, or people who will be in close proximity to high-risk groups, mask up in crowded indoor spaces and, if they test positive, receive early treatment with antiviral drugs such as Paxlovid.
ABC News’ Youri Bendadjaoud contributed to this report.
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