West Virginia – Warning signs of a potential rise in COVID-19 infections are emerging in parts of the U.S. Wastewater testing, which can help detect the spread of the virus in a community, has shown a significant uptick in several states. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), testing sites in Montana and Florida are reporting “very high” levels of COVID-19. Levels are “high” in wastewater across Alaska, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico.
Emergency room visits related to COVID-19 are also on the rise, with the CDC reporting a 12.6% increase in one week. The largest spikes were observed last week in Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Despite these recent increases, hospitalizations for COVID-19 remain very low nationwide. Last week, only 0.6% of all emergency department visits were diagnosed as COVID cases.
The CDC also notes a 1% increase in positive tests, but with the widespread use of at-home COVID testing, many positive cases may go unreported.
The uptick in cases could be driven by new dominant subvariants, such as FLiRT and KP.3. While COVID vaccines remain highly effective against these strains, those who haven’t received a booster recently may be more susceptible.
“If everybody’s getting vaccinated in November and December and then everyone is getting sick in December and January, the population is all becoming susceptible around the same time in the summer,” Ilan Rubin, a research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told TIME.
Additionally, the travel and socializing associated with summer may increase exposure to the virus.
Rubby Cordelia is a finance journalist for WVPrepBB.com, bringing expertise and clarity to her reporting on financial news. With a passion for demystifying complex economic issues, Rubby delivers insightful analysis and up-to-date information on the latest market trends, financial policies, and economic developments. Her work on WVPrepBB.com is essential reading for anyone looking to stay informed about the ever-changing world of finance.
