Respiratory illness viruses as a whole remain at low levels, but many parts of the countries are experiencing consistent increases in COVID-19 activity, which has been trending upward from very low levels, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest updates.
Test positivity, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations—the main markers the CDC uses to gauge virus activity—are all rising, especially in seniors and especially in western states.
Earlier this week, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said on X that COVID-19 infections are increasing in the city, and it urged people—especially seniors and people with underlying medical conditions—to consider wearing masks in crowded indoor settings.
The percentage of ED visits for COVID, considered an early indicator, rose 23.5% last week compared to the week before. Levels were higher in the West and the South than in the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, test positivity at the national level rose slightly, to 11%, with levels higher in the West and South.
Wastewater detections at high levels
Wastewater detections of SARS-CoV-2, considered another early indicator, have risen from low to high, according to a CDC update this week.
Levels in the West are highest, but appear to be flattening out. The South is also experiencing a sharp rise in detections, with smaller rises seen in the Midwest and Northeast.
The dashboard at WastewaterSCAN a national wastewater monitoring system based at Stanford University in partnership with Emory University, shows SARS-CoV-2 detections at the high level, especially in the West, South, and East, with an upward trend over the past 21 days.
KP.3 proportions grow
In its latest variant update, posted on July 6, the CDC said the proportion of KP.3 detections continues to rise, up from 31.3% to 36.9% over the 2-week monitoring period. KP.3 is one of the JN.1 offshoots with mutations that allow it to better evade immunity from earlier infection or vaccination.
Another variant that expanded its proportion is LB.1, up slightly, from 13.0% to 14.9%.
