U.S. COVID update (July 7): Cases rise for 5th week in a row

COVID cases in the U.S. continued to rise slowly for the fifth week in a row, with notable upticks in Kentucky, Georgia and Tennessee, according to statistics collected by BNO News. At the same time, COVID levels remain relatively low compared to the winter months.

At least 90,738 new cases were reported between July 1 and July 7, up from 88,862 the week before (+2.1%). 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 because most people are using at-home tests which are not included in official statistics. Limited reporting due to the Fourth of July also played a role this week.

“Some areas of the country are experiencing consistent increases in COVID-19 activity, including increases in COVID-19 test positivity and emergency department visits and increases in rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations among adults 65+ at several sites,” the CDC said in a statement on Friday. “However, nationally COVID-19 activity remains low.”

Also on Sunday, the White House confirmed that Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, tested positive for COVID after reporting “mild symptoms” this weekend. Harris, who is asymptomatic, tested negative. Both spent time with President Joe Biden on Thursday.

During the past week, cases increased in 22 out of 29 states with consistent but limited data. Notable increases were reported in Kentucky (+72%), Georgia (+39%), Tennessee (+33%), Minnesota (+26%), Massachusetts (+23%), Indiana (+21%), Ohio (+17%), Michigan (+17%), Florida (+15%) and California (+11%).

It’s currently estimated that COVID cases are increasing in 39 states and territories (a decrease of 5), declining in 0 states or territories, and stable or uncertain in 14 states and territories (an increase of 5). Nationally, COVID test positivity is 9%, up from 8.1% last week.

Only 34% of hospitals in the U.S. submitted COVID data this week, which is similar to last week but down from 91% in early May. Those limited figures show that at least 2,551 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID, up from 2,181 last week.

407 new COVID deaths were reported during the week, down from last week, when 474 deaths were reported. This marks the 225th week in a row with more than 400 new COVID deaths in the U.S., or nearly 1.2 million during the same period.

So far this year, more than 3.7 million COVID cases have been reported in the U.S., causing 300,520 hospitalizations and 32,048 deaths, according to BNO’s COVID data tracker.

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