Weekly U.S. COVID update: Cases continue to trend up

COVID cases in the United States increased for a fifth week in a row, with notable increases in Hawaii and Florida, according to statistics collected by BNO News. Overall, COVID levels remain relatively low compared to the winter months.

At least 56,233 new cases were reported between June 3 and June 9, up from 53,367 the week before. Those figures are collected from state health departments and, where necessary, estimated based on hospital admissions.

Actual case numbers are higher because many hospitals and states are no longer reporting detailed COVID data. Laboratory testing is also low because most people are using at-home tests which are not reflected in statistics.

In Hawaii, confirmed COVID cases increased by 58% week-over-week, which coincides with a notable increase in hospital admissions in the state. In Puerto Rico, cases increased 50% week-over-week.

Meanwhile, Florida’s weekly case count increased by 50%, according to Florida’s health department. Cases also went up by 22% in California and 16% in New York state.

Only 37% of hospitals in the U.S. submitted COVID data this week, down from 38% last week and 91% in early May. Those limited figures show that at least 1,690 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID, an increase of 50.

With 507 new deaths it was also the first week since May 5 with more than 500 new COVID deaths in the U.S. It was further the 221st week in a row with more than 400 new COVID deaths, or nearly 1.2 million during the same period.

So far this year, nearly 3.4 million COVID cases have been reported in the U.S., causing 288,087 hospitalizations and 30,295 deaths, according to BNO’s COVID data tracker.