Federal health data shows the number of people who have been taken to emergency rooms and died from COVID-19 has risen in recent weeks.
Agencies are collecting limited information to track COVID-19 cases and spread, known as surveillance data. But COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are indicators of the disease’s spread. Emergency room admissions and deaths are on the rise, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Insights into the rising trend:Why are some people suddenly getting COVID-19 this summer?
With countless mutating variants, COVID-19 appears to be becoming more seasonally predictable, with large spikes in cases in the winter and fewer cases in the summer. Experts previously told USA Today that cases appear to be on the rise this summer. But Americans face little risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 compared to earlier in the pandemic, thanks in part to protections from vaccines and previous infections.
That doesn’t mean we don’t need to worry: More than 75,000 people have died from COVID-19 in 2023, and nearly 1 million people ended up in U.S. hospitals last year.
Emergency department visits increased by 23%, according to CDC data released Monday. For the week ending June 22, the most recent data available, the percentage of emergency department visits with a COVID-19 diagnosis was 0.9% week over week. Hawaii saw a large increase in diagnoses, with Arizona, New Mexico, Florida and Washington also seeing smaller increases. COVID-19 diagnosis rates have been trending upward since early May, according to CDC data.
There has been no notable change in the number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations. However, the number of deaths has increased by 14% over the past week. While this sounds alarming, it is important to keep in mind that this is a percentage increase compared to more recent figures. This does not mean that the total number of deaths is the same as it was earlier in the pandemic.
CDC:Up-to-date COVID and flu vaccinations recommended for fall
Preliminary data shows that the weekly death toll has been several hundred this year, compared with a weekly average of more than 2,000 in late December and January. Prior to that, in 2021, when the Omicron variant dominated cases, the weekly death toll averaged more than 20,000 that winter.
Health officials said at a recent committee meeting to approve an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall that older adults remain at higher risk for the worst outcomes from COVID-19. The CDC is recommending that everyone 6 months of age or older get the updated COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it becomes available later this year.
