COVID-19 activity is rising in many areas of the country ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, hinting at the start of a summer surge, the CDC said in a June 28 update.
For the week ending June 22, COVID-related emergency department visits rose 23% from the previous week. Hawaii and Florida had the highest percentage of ED visits diagnosed as COVID-19 at 5.1% and 1.8%, respectively. Hospitalizations appear to be increasing slightly, though the trends are based on a subset of hospitals that continue to report data to the agency. Requirements for hospitals to report COVID-19 and flu admissions data ended May 1.
Three more updates to know:
1. On June 27, the CDC recommended everyone 6 months and older receive an updated vaccine, whether or not they have ever previously received a shot. Age is the most significant risk factor for severe illness and hospitalization, experts told The New York Times. Adults 65 and older account for two-thirds of hospitalizations and the majority of in-hospital deaths, though only 40% of people in this age group received a booster last fall.
"This is an area where there's a lot of room for improvement and could prevent a lot of hospitalizations," Fiona Havers, MD, a CDC researcher with the agency's advisory committee on immunization practices, told the Times.
2. A group of variants dubbed "FLiRT," after two mutations in the virus's genes, make up the majority of U.S. cases and are steadily rising in dominance. Novovax's updated vaccine will target the subvariant JN.1, which dominated this past winter, and Pfizer and Moderna's shots will target KP.2, which currently makes up around 21% of cases. Other circulating variants are closely related and are descendants of JN.1.
3. Physicians have noted that COVID-19 infections have gotten tougher to distinguish from other respiratory illnesses. While loss of taste and smell and a persistent cough were once telltale signs of infection, that's no longer the case. With patients now presenting a wide range of symptoms, a test-confirmed diagnosis is the only approach physicians are relying on today.