As of June 29, emergency room visits for COVID-19-related illnesses have increased 18.4% and hospitalizations have increased 13.3% from the previous week, the CDC found.
On June 28, the CDC warned that a summer surge may be coming ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. However, on July 5, the CDC reported the amount of respiratory illness causing people to seek healthcare was low nationally with no jurisdiction experiencing moderate, high or very high activity. Although COVID activity has increased since April and May, it remains low.
Here are four other trends to watch:
1. Per the CDC's most recent data, KP.3, KP.2, LB.1 and KP.1.1 are the top four subvariants of the JN lineage of the virus currently infecting individuals across the U.S.
2. The five states with the highest increases in COVID-19 ED visits as of June 29 are:
- Nebraska: 82.1%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.3%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.3%
- Georgia: 57.3%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.4%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.4%
- Idaho: 56.6%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.8%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.8%
- Louisiana: 39.4%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.8%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.8%
- West Virginia: 34.9%
- Percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID: 0.5%
3. COVID-related deaths have fallen 25% in the week of June 29, continuing a downward trend.
4. The West saw the greatest increase in COVID viral activity in wastewater, standing at 6.32 as of June 22. That's compared to 3.52 for the South, 1.97 for the Midwest and 1.42 for the Northeast in that same week. However, all regions are seeing an increase in the past two weeks.