Coronavirus cases across the U.S. are finally on the decline after a summer wave of infections, but some states are still seeing numbers rise.
New data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that the highest rates of infection are found in six Northeastern states, with nearly 1 in 5 COVID tests coming out positive in these regions.
Since the beginning of April, a group of highly infectious spinoffs of the Omicron variant have risen to prominence across the U.S. Nicknamed the "FLiRT" subvariants due to the positions of the specific mutations in their spike proteins, this new class of viruses now accounts for more than 80 percent of infections in the country, according to the CDC.
For the week ending August 31, the CDC reported that 16.3 percent of all COVID-19 tests performed in the U.S.—excluding at-home test results—were coming back positive. This is a 0.4 percent decrease from the previous week, but the infection rates have not been evenly distributed across the country.
The below map illustrates the distribution of positive tests in the U.S., divided into 10 Health and Human Service regions.
For much of the summer, region six—which incorporates Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas—showed the highest rates of COVID-19 infection, with as many as 1 in 4 tests coming out as positive in early August. However, in the last week alone, positive cases have declined in this region by 4.4 percent and, as of August 31, just 14.5 percent of cases were coming out as positive.
Now, the region with the highest percentage of positive tests is region three—covering Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia—where 19.5 percent of all tests performed in the week ending August 31 came out as positive.
This is followed closely by region seven—covering Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska—at 19.3 percent, and region five—covering Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin—at 18.6 percent.
Region three has also seen the largest increase in test positivity, up 3.6 percent from the previous week.
The lowest levels in the country are seen in region two—which covers New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands—where only 9.7 percent of tests came back positive in the week ending August 31.
Despite the overall reduction in positive cases across the country, COVID-19 detection in wastewater is still "very high" in roughly half all U.S. states.
Move than 40 percent of all U.S. COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks have been attributed to the now-dominant subvariant, KP.3.1.1, which belongs to the FLiRT group of viruses that emerged earlier this year.
However, while the U.S. has seen a steady rise in infections over the summer, hospitalizations have remained relatively low. The new FLiRT variants, while more infectious, do not generally cause as severe symptoms.
The symptoms include the following, according to the CDC:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
More vulnerable individuals may still be at risk of severe illness, so it is important to self-isolate if you receive a positive COVID-19 test.
Is there a health problem that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
