Hawaii and Florida had the highest percentage of ED visits diagnosed as COVID, at 4% and 3.1%, respectively. Many areas of the U.S. have seen a consistent increase in activity in recent weeks, with the CDC estimating that infections are growing or likely growing in 45 states and territories.
Two more notes:
- Measures of COVID-19 activity, including test positivity and hospitalizations, are increasing most among adults 65 and older and in Western states. Hospitalizations remain low overall, though data suggests they have risen in recent weeks. The hospitalization rate among adults 65 and older was estimated at 8.5 per 100,000 population for the week ending July 6.
- 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. As of July 8, nearly 25% of infections came from KP.3, and 22% from KP.2. 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. Other circulating variants are closely related and are descendants of JN.1.
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