(NEXSTAR) – Some parts of the U.S. are showing signs of an increase in coronavirus cases.
Wastewater testing to help detect the spread of COVID-19 in communities Significant increase Several states are continuing to detect the virus: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that labs in Montana and Florida have found “very high” levels of COVID, and that wastewater in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland and New Mexico has “elevated” levels.
COVID-19-related emergency room visits are also on the rise, jumping 12.6% in one week, according to the CDC, with the biggest spikes occurring last week in Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.
But despite the recent increase, COVID-19 hospitalizations remain very low nationwide: Just 0.6% of emergency department visits last week were diagnosed with COVID.
The CDC also reported a 1% increase in positive tests, but the widespread use of at-home COVID testing has led to more positive cases going unreported.
The increase in cases may be driven by new dominant submutations, such as: Cheating and 3P 3…COVID vaccines are still highly effective against these strains, but it may have been a while since you received your booster shot, making you more susceptible to infection.
“If everyone gets vaccinated in November and December, and then everyone gets sick in December and January, then the whole population becomes susceptible to infection during the same period in the summer,” said Ilan Rubin, a research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He told Time magazine.
Summer also brings with it increased travel and social opportunities, which can also lead to increased exposure.