The U.S. is experiencing yet another winter Covid surge, with the situation expected to only worsen over in the weeks following the Chri...
The U.S. is experiencing yet another winter Covid surge, with the situation expected to only worsen over in the weeks following the Christmas and New Years holidays.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. is averaging 181,948 Covid cases every day, with that number set to increase in the coming days due to reporting lags during the holiday season. Nearly three out of every four cases, or 73 percent, are of the Omicron variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.
Deaths have slightly risen over the past two weeks, up three percent to 1,328 over the last 14 days, though not nearly at the rate of cases. This could signal that the new strain is more mild than many others - which many officials believe is the case - or it that a surge in deaths caused by the virus is right around the corner.
New York is the hardest struck state by the new strain, with 167 out of every 100,000 residents testing positive for the virus every day, a 238 percent increase over the past two weeks. The Empire state has the highest infection rate in the U.S.
Seven states, including New York, have more than 100 out of every 100,000 residents testing positive for Covid daily. These include New Jersey (158 out of every 100,000), Rhode Island (130), Delaware (106), Maryland (104), Massachusetts (104) and Ohio (104).
In the Empire State, the number of New Yorkers hospitalized with COVID ballooned over Christmas, with more than 5,500 people spending their holidays inside one of New York's many hospital facilities - the largest increase since February.
Around 17,000 New Yorkers were hospitalized during the peak of the first wave in spring 2020, with 7,000 receiving professional medical care as 2021 began.
Hospitalizations among children, though, have also skyrocketed, more than doubling statewide since the beginning of the month and has jumping five-fold in New York City. Across the state, 70 children were hospitalized with COVID during the week of December 5 to 11, but so from December 19 to 23, that number jumped to 184. And in New York City, there were 22 children in the hospitals for COVID from December 5 to 11, but by December 19 to 23 there were 109 children hospitalized with the virus.
Some of these states are experiencing intense case growth in recent weeks as well. In Maryland - which has begun reporting cases again after a technical glitch prevented the state from doing so in recent weeks - has seen cases increased by 370 percent.
In New Jersey, the number of new daily cases have increased by 220 percent - over tripling over 14 days. The other states among the nation's leaders in Covid case rate have all also seen infections jump by 50 percent or more over the past two weeks.
Hawaii has suffered the largest growth in cases, jumping almost ten-fold over the past two weeks. The island state can usually control its Covid spread better than many others, as its distance from the rest of the country and geography as an island makes it easier to control travel in and out - and force quarantine restrictions.
This allowed Hawaii to keep cases low throughout much of fall, staying below ten cases per every 100,000 residents. Cases have skyrocketed in recent weeks, though, up to 96 out of every 100,000 residents testing positive every day.
Florida, which sporadically reports cases, has logged a 818 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks - averaging 83 new cases a day out of every 100,000 residents. These numbers could be a result of delayed reporting, though, and could significantly shrink in the coming weeks.
Georgia is quickly joining the states facing the worst Covid surges in America as well, with cases increasing 300 percent to 55 out of every 100,000 per day over the past two weeks.
States in the west that were previously recording little change in cases, if not outright declines, have seen cases jump as well.
California, the nation's most populous state, has witnessed a doubling of cases over the past two weeks. Oregon, a 13 percent increase, and Washington, 54 percent, have jumped after experiencing case declines in recent weeks as well.
Other states suffering massive case increases include Texas (151 percent), Illinois (125 percent), Virginia (106 percent) and Mississippi (194 percent).
The national leaders in Covid deaths are all states where cases are declining. This signals that the virus may be burning out in the U.S. as well - as deaths usually lag behind cases by around two weeks.
In Alaska, 1.7 out of every 100,000 residents are dying of Covid every day, the highest rate in America. New daily cases have dropped by 27 percent over the past two weeks, though, meaning deaths could soon decline as well.
Michigan was overwhelmed by a surge of Covid patients only a few weeks ago. The state is still among the leaders in death rate - with it 1.27 deaths per every 100,000 residents being third in the country - though cases are down nine percent over the past two weeks.
Cases in New Mexico are down 13 percent over the past two weeks while the state records 1.27 deaths per every 100,000 residents.
Many other states in the north and Midwest are recording declining cases as well, as the early fall surges called by cold weather are starting to recede.
Kansas leads the country in largest two week case decline, with infections dropping by 33 percent in 14 days. Minnesota comes in second, with cases down 30 percent during that time period.
Montana has the lowest rate of Covid infection in America, with 15 out of every 100,000 residents testing positive every day, a 25 percent decrease over two weeks. Nearby Wyoming and Idaho are also amount the states with the lowest Covid rates.
Idaho is recording 19 cases per every 100,000 residents every day - down 17 percent over two weeks. In Wyoming, 19 out of every 100,000 people in the state are testing positive daily, a 27 percent drop.
Other states in the region recording sharp declines include Utah (down 20 percent over two weeks), North Dakota (19 percent), South Dakota (19 percent), Nebraska (12 percent), Oklahoma (24 percent), Missouri (15 percent) and Iowa (10 percent).
Vermont, one of the nation's Covid hotspots in much of November and December, is finally in the blue as well, with cases dropping one percent over the past two weeks - signaling the surge might be over for the most vaccinated state in America.
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