The most recent information from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) at present point out that COVID-19 exercise continues to rise throughout the nation, albeit at low ranges.
Based on the CDC’s COVID Knowledge Tracker, check positivity was 6.6% for the week ending June 15, up 1.2% from the earlier week. Emergency division visits for COVID-19 have been up 14.7% from the earlier week and now stand at 0.7%. In its weekly snapshot of respiratory viral sicknesses, the CDC stated COVID infections are rising or possible rising in 39 states and territories and steady or unsure in 10 states and territories.
The company’s two severity indicators—hospitalizations and deaths—additionally present notable upticks. Hospitalizations by way of June 1 are up 25% from the earlier week, whereas deaths are up 16.7%. However hospitalization and dying charges stay low total, nevertheless, in contrast with peak durations of the pandemic.
Knowledge from the CDC’s Nationwide Wastewater Surveillance System present that COVID wastewater ranges nationally are low, however a number of states within the West are reporting excessive viral exercise, and 6 states—Alaska, Hawaii, New Mexico, Missouri, Florida, and Connecticut—are reporting very excessive exercise. The most recent information from WastewaterSCAN, a nationwide wastewater monitoring system based mostly at Stanford College in partnership with Emory College, recommend COVID wastewater ranges are excessive nationally.
Shifting variants
The uptick seems to be pushed by will increase within the KP.3, KP.2, and LB.1 variants, which now account for 71.4% of sequenced samples, up from 61% the earlier week, in accordance with at present’s variant proportion replace. All three variants are offshoots of the JN.1 lineage and carry key mutations within the spike protein that would assist them evade antibodies.
“KP.3 and LB.1 are projected to proceed rising as proportions of the variants that trigger COVID-19,” the CDC stated.
In the meantime, seasonal flu exercise stays low, the CDC stated in its weekly FluView report. However the company famous that three further influenza-associated pediatric deaths that occurred through the 2023-24 season have been reported through the week ending June 15, bringing the overall variety of pediatric deaths for the season to 178. That compares with 185 deaths within the 2022-23 season.
