U.S. COVID update (July 28): Summer wave continues to grow

The COVID summer wave continued to grow at a gradual pace for the eight week in a row, with notable upticks in Texas, West Virginia and Colorado, according to statistics collected by BNO News.

At least 141,506 new cases were reported between July 22 and July 28, up from 130,895 in the week before (+8%). Those figures were 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 as most people and doctors are using at-home tests which are not included in official statistics.

“Most areas of the country are experiencing consistent increases in COVID-19 activity,” the CDC said in a weekly assessment on Friday. “COVID-19 test positivity, emergency department visits, and rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations are increasing, particularly among adults 65+.”

During the past week, cases increased in 23 out of 26 states with consistent but limited data. Notable increases were reported in Texas (+61%), West Virginia (+52%), Maine (+42%), Colorado (+28%), Tennessee (+26%), New Jersey (+25%), Kentucky (+24%), New Mexico (+24%) and New York (+19%).

It’s currently estimated that COVID cases are increasing in 36 states and territories, declining in 1 state or territory (Hawaii), and stable or uncertain in 5 states and territories. Nationally, COVID test positivity is 14.3%, up from 12.6% last week.

Only 33.9% of hospitals in the U.S. submitted COVID data this week, which is slightly down from last week and down from 91% in early May. Those limited figures show that at least 3,872 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID, up from 3,583 last week.

539 new COVID deaths were reported during the week, slight down from last week, when 552 deaths were reported. This marks the third week in a row with more than 500 new COVID deaths in the U.S., or the 228th week with more than 400 new deaths.

More than 4.1 million COVID cases have been reported in the U.S. so far this year, causing at least 309,868 hospitalizations and 33,140 deaths, according to BNO’s COVID data tracker.

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