COVID-19 Levels Rise in West, South U.S.

Though COVID-19 activity in the U.S. remains relatively low, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a rise in infections in many Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southern, and West Coast states.

According to the CDC, emergency department visits are an early indicator that could reflect the rise in COVID-19 activity. Though visits remain low nationally at 0.7% as of July 26, they are up from mid-July—with greater increases in children ages 4 years old and younger. Test positivity also increased at the national level by 1.1% as of July 18.

Wastewater detections of the virus, another early marker, were at the very low level earlier this summer and are now at the low level nationwide—with the highest levels located in the West and followed by the South as of July 26. Texas, Hawaii, and Alaska have very high levels of COVID-19 in wastewater. States at the high level include California, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Delaware. 

The CDC has not updated its variant proportion projections since the middle of June; its last update reflected growing proportions of newer subvariants.