COVID-19 remained at ‘very high’ activity levels across the US: See latest data

COVID-19 remained at ‘very high’ activity levels across the US: See latest data Newest CDC data shows nearly half of US states have ‘very high’ wastewater activity levels. Show Caption Hide Caption ‘Very high’ COVID-19 levels in half US, per wastewater CDC data Recent CDC data from wastewater shows that nearly half of the United States reported “very high” levels of COVID-19 activity. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that last month nearly half of the United States have reported “very high” levels of COVID-19 activity. As concerns with COVID have waned across the U.S., the CDC has come to rely on wastewater data to track the virus, which often lags several weeks behind current case counts. Here are the overall numbers of the states and territories that have reported wastewater viral activity levels as of Aug. 31. Note: Typically, wastewater data are updated weekly and the data that is published shows the results for the prior week. Thus, the data from Aug. 31 is considered the most recent data. Here are the overall numbers of the states and territories that have reported wastewater viral activity levels as of Aug. 31. The CDC’s Nowcast data tracker, which displays COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods, projected the KP.3.1.1 variant accounting for 42.2% of positive infections, followed by KP.2.3 at 14.6% in the two-week stretch starting Aug.18 and ending Aug. 31. All current lineages are descendants of JN.1, which emerged in late 2023,” Rosa Norman, a spokesperson at the CDC, previously told USA TODAY. Changes in COVID-19 test positivity within a week Data collected by the CDC shows that six Southern states making up Region 6 had the biggest decrease (-4.4%) in positive COVID-19 cases from Aug. 25, 2024 to Aug. 31, 2024. Note: The CDC organizes positivity rate based on regions, as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Here’s the list of states and their regions’ changes in COVID-19 positivity for the past week: Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont): -2.4% (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont): Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands): +0.7% (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands): Region 3 (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia): +3.6% (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia): Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee): -0.6% (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee): Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin): +1.1% (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin): Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas): -4.4% (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas): Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska): -0.2% (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska): Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming): -2.8% (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming): Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau): +0.8% (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau): Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington): +0.1% The CDC data shows COVID-19 test positivity rate was recorded at 16.3% for the week of Aug. 35 to Aug. 31, an absolute change of -0.4% from the prior week. These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19: Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms: Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion Inability to wake or stay awake Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/09/11/us-covid-rates-wastewater-tests/75180596007/