According to recent data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 hospitalisations in the country have increased by more than 10% weekly. This marks the largest percentage rise in this key indicator since December.
During the week of July 15, at least 7,109 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were admitted to hospitals nationwide, up from 6,444 admissions the previous week.
Additionally, another significant hospital metric has been trending upwards in recent weeks: as of July 21, an average of 0.73% of emergency room visits were due to COVID-19, compared to 0.49% on June 21.
It's important to note that these figures come after months of mostly declining COVID-19 trends nationwide since the last wave of infections during the winter.
CDC spokesperson Kathleen Conley stated that US COVID-19 rates are still relatively low after seven months of steady declines.
However, early indicators of COVID-19 activity such as emergency department visits, test positivity, and wastewater levels preceded the recent increase in hospitalisations.
Despite the recent rise, most counties still have "low" COVID-19 hospital admission levels, which are below the thresholds requiring additional precautions according to CDC recommendations.
Interestingly, only the Midwestern region spanning Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin did not record more hospitalisations last week compared to the previous week.
It's worth noting that the current hospitalisations levels remain far below those seen at the same time last year nationwide.
In July 2022, there were over 44,000 weekly hospitalisations and 5% of emergency room visits were related to COVID-19 during a summer surge that strained healthcare facilities.
Experts have different projections for the coming months, with an ensemble of academic and federal modellers suggesting that the main period of COVID-19 activity is expected in late fall and early winter over the next two years, with a median peak incidence between November and mid-January.
Regarding variants and vaccines, unlike previous waves, no single variant has emerged this summer to dominate infections nationwide. Instead, a mix of descendants from the XBB variant, which drove infections last winter, are now competing around the country.
Health authorities are preparing for a new round of COVID-19 vaccinations in the fall, with updated vaccines targeting the XBB strains expected to be available by late September.
The CDC states that current supplies of vaccines will continue to be shipped until September for exceptional situations, even as preparations are made for the switchover to a traditional commercial market for vaccines.
As the situation evolves, public health officials continue to monitor and respond to the changing dynamics of the pandemic.
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