U.S. COVID update (August 11): Nearly 170,000 new cases

The COVID summer wave in the U.S. continued to grow this week with nearly 170,000 new cases, the highest since early March, according to figures collected by BNO News. Hospital admissions and deaths are also rising.

At least 168,243 new cases were reported between August 5 and August 11, up from 158,624 in the week before (+6%). 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, with substantial increases in the southern United States,” the CDC said in an update on Friday. “COVID-19 test positivity, emergency department visits, and rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations remain elevated, particularly among adults 65+.”

During the past week, cases increased in 20 out of 25 states with consistent but limited data. Cases may have peaked in some areas, particularly in the west of the country, with California reporting a 19% drop week-over-week.

Nonetheless, notable increases were reported in Colorado (+83%), Texas (+76%), Utah (+36%), Arizona (+32%), Maryland (+25%), Georgia (+20%), Kentucky (+19%), Tennessee (+15%), Michigan (+12%) and Ohio (+12%).

It’s currently estimated that COVID cases are rising in at least 32 states, declining or likely declining in 3 states, and stable or uncertain in 8 states. Nationally, COVID test positivity is 17.6%, up from 16.3% last week.

Only 33.6% of hospitals in the U.S. submitted COVID data this week, which is slightly down from 33.7% last week and down from 91% in May. Those limited figures reveal that at least 4,771 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID, up from 4,554 last week.

761 new COVID deaths were reported during the week, a notable uptick from 652 last week and 539 the week before. This marks the first week since April with more than 700 new COVID deaths, the fifth week in a row with more than 500 new deaths, and the 230th week with more than 400 new deaths.

More than 4.4 million COVID cases have been reported in the U.S. so far this year, causing at least 324,544 hospitalizations (limited data) and 35,092 deaths, according to BNO’s COVID data tracker.

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