The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for COVID-19 continues to rise in three U.S. regions, while emergency department visits for the virus jumped in two regions, according to the CDC's weekly COVIDView report.
Four updates:
1. Surveillance: The percentage of positive COVID-19 specimens decreased or remained stable in seven HHS surveillance regions. This percentage continues to increase in the Central, Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions. The Central, South Central and Mountain regions had the highest percentage of positive specimens.
2. Outpatient activity: The national percentage of ER visits for flu- or COVID-19-like symptoms remained stable, marking the 11th consecutive week this figure declined or held steady. The Mountain and Midwest regions reported an increase in the percentage of visits for COVID-19-like symptoms, while the Pacific Northwest reported a jump in flu-related visits.
3. Mortality: About 6.4 percent of deaths nationwide were attributed to flu, pneumonia or COVID-19 in the week ending Sept. 19. This figure marks a decline from the week prior but is still above the epidemic threshold.
4. Hospitalizations: The cumulative hospitalization rate for all age groups increased to 178.2 per 100,000 population in the week ending Sept. 26.
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