For the week ending Sept. 23, admissions decreased 3.1 percent, emergency department visits with COVID-19 diagnoses fell 11.7 percent, and test positivity lowered 1.1 percent. Deaths increased 8 percent compared to the week ending Sept. 16.
The previous week also saw about 19,000 new admissions that week, a 4.3 percent decrease from early September, and the rate of ED patients with COVID-19 fell 19 percent.
Based on past trends, experts predict a continued dip in COVID-19 markers for three to four months before another increase in December or January.
Three other updates:
1. As of Sept. 30, omicron variant EG.5 accounts for nearly 3 in 10 COVID-19 cases, and other dominating variants include FL.1.5.1 (13.7 percent of cases), HV.1 (12.9 percent) and XBB.1.16.6 (10.1) percent.
2. Forty percent of Americans are not planning to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine, and some who have made appointments for the monovalent shot reported paying up to $190 for the jab despite promises from payers there wouldn’t be a co-pay. Payers have since said the coverage issues have been resolved.
3. States in the Northeast are recording the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the U.S. among children and teenagers.
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