Where COVID-19 admissions are highest, rising fastest

More than 12,600 new COVID-19 hospital admissions were reported for the week ending Aug. 12, up nearly 22 percent from the week prior. 

The uptick comes as experts keep close watch on a new distant omicron relative, BA.2.86. Few sequences have been detected globally so far, including at least three in the U.S. While it's too early to make firm assessments on the strain, health agencies are closely monitoring it given the large number of mutations it carries on the spike protein. 

"This is a radical change of the virus like what happened with omicron, which caught a lot of people defenseless," Eric Topol, MD, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego, told The Washington Post. "Even if they had a vaccine or prior infection, it could still get into them and infect them again or for the first time. We are facing that again." 

The CDC published a risk assessment on the variant Aug. 23, saying current evidence suggests existing tests and medications used to detect and treat COVID-19 should still be effective; that it may be better at infecting those with prior immunity; and that there is no evidence it causes more severe disease. 

"That assessment may change as additional scientific data are developed. CDC will share more as we know more," the agency said. The current U.S. uptick is primarily driven by several XBB offshoots, including  EG.5 and FL.1.5.1. 

Ten places with the highest rate of new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents for the week ending Aug. 12: 

Hawaii: 9.2

Number of new admissions: 130

Florida: 8.7

New admissions: 1,871

District of Collumbia: 5.5

New admissions: 39 

Louisiana: 5.2

New admissions: 252

California: 4.9

New admissions: 1,930

New York: 4.9

New admissions: 943

Massachusetts: 4.7

New admissions: 327

South Carolina: 4.7

New admissions: 240

Connecticut: 4.5

New admissions: 161

Alaska: 4.5

New admissions: 33

Ten states where COVID-19 admissions increased most in the past week 

Vermont — 108.3 percent 

Number of new admissions: 25

Kentucky — 88.4 percent 

New admissions: 162

Alaska — 73.7 percent 

New admissions: 33

South Carolina — 60 percent 

New admissions: 240

Michigan — 58.3 percent

New admissions: 201

New Mexico — 52 percent

New admissions: 38

Massachusetts — 51.4 percent

New admissions: 327

Missouri — 42.3 percent

New admissions: 175 

Virginia — 42.2 percent 

New admissions: 236

Nevada — 40.3 percent

New admissions: 101

One thing to note: Rhode Island — which was among the 10 states where new admissions increased most for the previous week — saw a decrease for the week ending Aug. 12. 

 

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