HealthlineReuters reports there are 41 states where new COVID-19 cases have increased the past week. That’s up from 33 the previous week. And by the looks of it, the country could be heading into a “third wave” or surge.
It’s the October surge of new COVID-19 cases – as businesses and colleges reopen and as people gather at political rallies and other events. The higher numbers are being driven by a surge in parts of the Upper Midwest and Rocky Mountain region.
The New York Times reports the daily average of new cases in the United States this past week topped 50,000, a 19 percent increase from the average 2 weeks ago.
Reuters reports an 11 percent in new COVID-19 cases during the past week, with the Midwest recording rising caseloads as well as high positivity rates.
From Wednesday to Saturday last week, the country reported more than 50,000 new daily cases, the first time there had been 4 straight days at that level since early August.
Overall, the United States now has more than 7.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.
Hospitalizations stand at more than 31,000, which is significantly below the 50,000-plus numbers posted in late July but an increase from the 25,000 reported 3 weeks ago.
COVID-19 related deaths have now topped 215,000. That number places the viral illness as the third leading cause of death in the United States in 2020, trailing behind only heart disease and cancer.
A new forecast from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the number of deaths in the United States could surpass 230,000 by the end of October. Another new estimate predicts the United States will exceed 390,000 deaths by February 1 based on current conditions.
A daily tracking graph from the New York Times shows 25 states where “new cases are higher and staying high.” That’s about the same as last week.
There are no states listed where cases are high but declining.
The Times reports there are 17 states where new cases are lower but going up. That’s an increase from 15 states last week. It also notes there are 8 states where cases are lower and staying low. There were 9 states in this category last week.
A weekly tracking graph by Reuters that was updated on Monday notes there are 29 states where new cases have risen for 2 weeks in a row. That’s up from 21 reported last week.
The news service reports there was an average of 976,000 people tested for COVID-19 per day last week. That broke the previous weekly record set last week.
The rate of positive test results nationwide rose from 4.6 percent to 5 percent, the level the World Health Organization considers “concerning.” The rate had reached a high of 9 percent in mid-July.
South Dakota, Idaho, Iowa, and Wisconsin all had rates above 20 percent.
Where cases are the highest
The Reuters graph reports 41 states where new COVID-19 cases have increased the past week. That’s up from 33 the previous week.
In terms of percentage, Vermont showed the largest increase among states in new confirmed COVID-19 cases. It recorded 83 new positive tests this past week, a hike of 93 percent from the previous week.
- Washington, D.C., recorded 465 new cases, a jump of 73 percent.
- Tennessee was next with an increase of 64 percent to 13,507 new cases.
- Right behind was Montana, which showed an increase of 61 percent with 4,067 new cases.
- There are concerns about the continued increase of cases in the middle of the country.
- Reuters noted that every Midwest state except for Missouri and Illinois showed increases.
- South Dakota recorded 4,146 new cases, a hike of 44 percent. North Dakota was up 32 percent to 3,715 new cases.
- North Dakota was one of six states that set a daily record for new COVID-19 cases on Friday.
- Minnesota reported 8,442 new cases this past week for an increase of 19 percent, according to Reuters. Minnesota health officials say they have connected nearly two dozen cases to presidential campaign rallies held in the state this past month by President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Another confirmed case was linked to a rally by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.That report prompted the mayor of Des Moines, Iowa, to express concerns about the president’s planned rally at the city’s airport on Wednesday.
- In terms of sheer numbers, Texas and California are still leading the way in new COVID-19 cases, according to Reuters.
- Texas reported 30,172 new positive tests, a decline of 11 percent from the previous week.
- California was second with 22,727 new cases. That was an increase of almost 1 percent.
- Wisconsin remained in third place with 18,387 new cases, a hike of 5 percent.
- Florida was fourth with 18,032 new cases, a jump of 13 percent.
- Illinois was fifth with 17,908 new positive tests, a rise of 29 percent.
Hospitalizations slowing rising
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to slowly increase.
- On Wednesday, Texas was listed as having 3,870 people hospitalized with COVID-19, about 300 more than a week ago but well below the high of 10,893 reported in late July.
- Florida is second with 2,206 people hospitalized with COVID-19, slightly higher than last week.
- California is third with 2,196 patients, a slight decline from where it was a week ago.
- Illinois has the fourth highest number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with 1,776, a slight increase from last week.
- Georgia has the fifth highest number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients with 1,252, slightly less than last week.
- Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri, and Tennessee are also above the 1,000 mark.
The death toll
Reuters reported that there were 4,800 COVID-19 related deaths this past week, a decrease of 3 percent from the week before.
The New York Times lists 16 states where COVID-19 related deaths have risen the past 2 weeks. That’s down from 19 reported last week.
The Reuters graph lists 23 states where deaths had increased the previous week. That’s a decrease from the 25 listed a week ago.
- New Hampshire had the highest percentage increase among states at 225 percent with 13 new deaths.
- Missouri was second with a 126 percent increase with 249 deaths.
- Alabama was third with an 86 percent hike with 106 deaths.
- In terms of sheer numbers, Florida recorded the most deaths with 707 this past week, an increase of 10 percent from the previous week.
- Texas was second with 655 fatalities this past week, an increase of 13 percent.
- California was third with 426 deaths, a decline of 21 percent.
- Georgia was fourth with 254 deaths, a hike of 18 percent.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Case counts are meaningless without knowing how much testing has increased.
Hospitalizations and deaths are clearer indicator, although they lag behind new cases.
NPR: Coronavirus restrictions are taking effect in the Netherlands, the U.K., the Czech Republic and other parts of Europe on Wednesday as nations try to reverse an alarming wave in new cases. The continent is now seeing more new coronavirus cases – an average of 100,000 daily — than at any other time during the pandemic.
Bars, restaurants and schools are being shut down or sharply limited, and officials are working to bolster hospital capacity, to accommodate an expected influx of new COVID-19 patients.
Numbers that showed signs of taking off in late August and September are now skyrocketing. Europe reported more than 700,000 new coronavirus cases last week – a surge representing a 36% weekly increase, as NPR’s Reese Oxner recently reported.
Europe’s infection rate “has been increasing for 77 days,” the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in its most recent weekly report for the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/10/14/923727094/paris-under-curfew-europe-reacts-as-countries-see-highest-ever-coronavirus-numbe
At more than 62,000, the number of new U.S. coronavirus cases Thursday reached the highest daily level since late July. Washington Post