U.S. COVID update (August 18): More than 1,000 new deaths

More than 1,100 COVID deaths were reported in the U.S. this week, the highest since March, as the summer wave continued with nearly 170,000 new cases, according to figures collected by BNO News. Cases appear to have peaked in some areas.

At least 169,217 new cases were reported between August 12 and August 18, up slightly from 168,243 the week before (+0.6%). 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.

“Many areas of the country are continuing to experience increases in COVID-19 activity, though other areas are experiencing declines in COVID-19 activity following increases this summer,” 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+ and children under 2 years.”

During the past week, cases increased in 14 out of 24 states with consistent but limited data, though a growing number of states are reporting either stable or declining figures. This indicates the current summer wave is at or near the peak.

Nonetheless, notable increases were reported in California (+42%), Maryland (+42%), Kentucky (+25%), North Dakota (+25%), Georgia (+21%), Tennessee (+16%) and Michigan (+13%). The increase in California may have been (partially) caused by a backlog.

It’s currently estimated that COVID cases are rising in at least 25 states (down from 32), declining or likely declining in 5 states (up from 3), and stable or uncertain in 17 states (up from 8). Nationally, COVID test positivity is 18.1%, up from 17.6% last week.

Only 33.6% of hospitals in the U.S. submitted COVID data this week, which is similar to last week but down from 91% in May. Those limited figures reveal that at least 5,256 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID, up from 4,771 last week.

1,134 new COVID deaths were reported during the week, a notable uptick from 761 last week and 652 the week before. This marks the first week since March with more than 1,000 new deaths, the sixth week in a row with more than 500 new deaths, and the 231st week in a row with more than 400 new deaths.

More than 4.6 million COVID cases have been reported in the U.S. so far this year, causing at least 332,398 hospitalizations (limited data) and 36,226 deaths, according to BNO’s COVID data tracker.

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