In more than half of states, wastewater tests have shown “high” or “very high” concentrations of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Numbers The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this on Friday. This summer’s COVID wave It is reaching an ever-increasing proportion in the country.
Nationwide, the CDC said overall levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater are “high” for the first time since this winter, and levels remain “high” across western states where the trend was first seen. It started to get worse After a slow rise last month, other regions are now seeing more rapid increases at or near the “high” level.
Friday’s update will be the first since last month due to the Independence Day holiday.
The increase coincides with an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients being sent to emergency rooms: The District of Columbia and 26 states are now experiencing “significant increases” in emergency room visits due to COVID-19, the department said.
On average nationwide, Emergency Patients COVID-19 deaths also hit their highest since February, up 115% from a month ago.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
whole Emergency room visits and hospitalization Several states are continuing to see trends that the CDC considers to be “low” levels, well below the deadly peaks reached early in the pandemic.
But Hawaii reached “moderate” levels of COVID-19 emergency room visits last month after a surge that exceeded the previous two waves of the virus. Florida is also now at “moderate” levels amid ongoing waves of the virus. At the peak Not seen since last winter.
“We’re seeing a pattern consistent with what we’ve seen in recent summers, where the increase in activity during this time has not been as large as during the winter peak,” said Alon Hall, deputy director for science in the CDC’s division of coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Health authorities Some communities In recent weeks, some have said the increase is a sign that now may be an opportunity, especially for people wanting to avoid contracting COVID-19. Americans at RiskThose with underlying conditions should start taking extra Precautions such as wearing masks Testing is underway in many parts of the country.
Hall said the recent rise in cases appears less severe than past summer waves of infection, but it’s a reminder of the importance of measures such as getting vaccinated and seeking treatment for those at high risk of severe illness.
“The activity we’re seeing now is consistent with historical trends and while it’s not necessarily a call for further alarm, it’s an important reminder that there are important steps people can take to protect themselves,” he said.
When will COVID-19 peak this summer?
Most of the states were among the first to reach “high” COVID-19 concentrations in wastewater last month. To the westis also seeing an increase in the percentage of COVID-19 patients being admitted to emergency rooms. Nursing Homes It also grew in this area.
Other countries also saw COVID-19 outbreaks earlier this summer than last. hospitalization That’s a level not seen since February.
But there are signs the summer outbreak may have peaked in some of the states where the virus first gained momentum in the region.
CDC updated forecast this week estimate COVID-19 case numbers are increasing in almost every state, but three states – Hawaii, Oregon and New Mexico – are in “stable or uncertain” status.
“The future is hard to predict, and if COVID-19 has taught us anything it’s that things are always subject to change, but based on historical trends we can expect something of a summer wave this year, peaking around July or August,” Hall said.
In the Pacific Northwest region, stretching from Alaska to Oregon, infections in nursing homes have fallen for two straight weeks.
In Hawaii, COVID-19 emergency room trends peaked this summer at levels worse than last winter and summer’s wave of the virus, but patient volumes have declined in recent weeks.
Hall warned that while the recent COVID-19 outbreak has slowed after a summer peak, it is still far worse than past spring lulls in the virus outbreak.
“At least historically, we don’t see necessarily a low point or a nadir between the summer and winter waves, so that’s important as we think about protecting vulnerable populations,” he said.
What is the latest variant in this wave of COVID-19?
The CDC updated it every two weeks. Irregular projection After July 4th, 3P 3… The mutant strain has spread to more than one-third of infections nationwide.
Behind it all KP.2 and LB.1 Both of these variants are closely related and descendants of the JN.1 variant that dominated infections this winter. Combined, these three variants (KP.3, KP.2, and LB.1) accounted for more than three-quarters of all infections nationwide.
Hall said there is “no indication yet of any increased severity of disease” with any of these variants, echoing what officials have said in recent weeks.
Hall said the department is tracking data from hospitals and ongoing studies, as well as detailed analysis of genetic changes in the virus, for signs that new variants pose an increased risk.
“None of these data sources provide any indication that these variants cause more severe disease than we’ve seen thus far,” he said.
By the end of June, the CDC estimated that every region of the country had seen a mix of these strains, although some places were more prevalent than others.
KP.3 accounts for the largest percentage of cases in some parts of the country, while LB.1 is more prevalent around New York and New Jersey and KP.2 is more prevalent in New England.
Hall said that while KP.3 and LB.1 are the most rapidly spreading variants at the moment, their relative growth appears to be “significantly lower” than previous highly mutated strains such as the original Omicron variant.
“This is not as dramatic as previous changes in the virus that we’ve seen,” he said.
