The number of emergency department visits for COVID-19 is growing across 11 states and likely growing in 14 others, according to CDC data published July 11.
The data helps visualize whether the number of new respiratory infections is growing or declining, but the model does not provide the actual number of current SARS-CoV-2 infections.
COVID-19 infections usually peak during winter months and late summer, according to the CDC. Nationally, wastewater data shows COVID-19 activity is “low.”
However, ED visits for COVID-19 are increasing in Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. They are likely growing in Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wisconsin.
An emerging COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, could be contributing to the recent increase in COVID-related ED visits. One symptom of NB.1.8.1 is a severe sore throat, which has been nicknamed as “razor blade throat,” according to ABC News.
