U.S. COVID update (September 1): Deaths remain above 1,000

The COVID summer wave in the U.S. continued this week with nearly 178,000 new cases, along with more than 1,000 new deaths for the third week in a row, according to figures collected by BNO News. Cases however appear to be at or near a peak in most areas.

At least 177,573 new cases were reported between August 26 and September 1, up from 174,455 the week before (+2%) and the highest since February. 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.

“COVID-19 activity is elevated nationally, with continued increases in many areas and early signs of decline in others,” 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 12 out of 22 states with consistent but limited data, though most of them showed only modest increases, an indication that the current summer wave is at or near its peak.

Nonetheless, notable increases were reported in New Mexico (+122%), West Virginia (+64%), Kentucky (+27%), Ohio (+25%), New Jersey (+15%), and Colorado (+11%). It’s unclear whether any of them were affected by backlogs.

It’s currently estimated that COVID cases are rising in 20 states (down from 27 last week), declining or likely declining in 9 states (up from 4), and stable or uncertain in 18 states (up from 17). Nationally, COVID test positivity is 17.0%, down from 18% last week.

Only 33% 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 reveal that at least 5,357 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID, down from 5,434 last week.

1,262 new COVID deaths were reported during the week, the third week in a row with more than 1,000 new deaths and the highest since March. It’s also the eighth week in a row with more than 500 new deaths and the 233rd week with more than 400 new deaths.

So far this year, more than 4.9 million COVID cases have been reported across the U.S., causing at least 348,034 hospitalizations (limited data) and 38,563 deaths, according to BNO’s COVID data tracker.

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