Communities across the U.S. are seeing rising numbers of coronavirus cases, and some hospital officials are recommending mask-wearing again.
A map using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows where the worst-hit areas of the country are, with the Midwest and Northeast seeing the most cases.
Some hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington, D.C. have mandated mask-wearing due to influenza season, when respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, increase in the winter. It has been introduced.
The worst-hit region on average is known as “Region 7,” which includes Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, according to the data. In Region 7, his 18.3 percent of COVID-19 tests came back positive in the week ending Dec. 23. The positivity rate increased slightly by 0.1 percent.
A similar situation was seen in Region 5, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where the positivity rate fell by 0.1% but 14.8% of tests performed. was positive.
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Brigham, the leading Massachusetts health system, said it will require all health care workers who come into direct contact with patients to wear masks until the infection rate of the new coronavirus is sufficiently low.
Staff at MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., are required to wear masks while on duty, The Hill reported in conjunction with New York City Health + Hospitals.
newsweek has emailed MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital and Brigham for comment.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) issued an advisory statement on Dec. 14 saying that health care facilities should “intensify mitigation efforts to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses.”
An advisory in Yolo County, California, although not mandatory, advised individuals to consider wearing masks in “crowded indoor spaces.”
![CDC Covid Positivity Map](https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/2329855/cdc-covid-positivity-map.png?w=1200&f=ebd7676dffceacf6c69116664d8bb241)
CDC
“Our wastewater monitoring program is currently detecting high rates of COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus infection,” Yolo County Public Health Officer Amy Sisson said. [respiratory syncytial virus] level. We encourage everyone in the community to take steps to protect themselves from infection, including wearing a high-quality mask when indoors and around others. ”
Another CDC map showing hospitalization rates shows higher rates in U.S. counties from Idaho to New England and as far south as Texas.
According to the latest data from the CDC, the United States has about 7.36% of hospitalizations per 100,000 people. It rose just over 1% in the week ending Dec. 23.
Evaluating COVID-19 hospitalization data in a particular county is difficult because some areas have small populations. New hospitalizations in Lemhi County, Idaho, fell by one-third in the week ending Dec. 23, but the number of infections remained at just 2 per 100,000 people.
Lemhi County has an estimated population of approximately 8,000 people. The CDC map shows that the rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people remains high.
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