(Hok) – The number of people with Covid-19 in the United States is on a low but increasing, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released Friday.
Covid-19 is prevalent in many states on the Mid-Atlantic, southeastern, south and west coast. The agency said infections “are likely to grow or grow” in 40 states as of July 29, based on emergency department visit data. The infection was not changed in nine states.
The weekly proportion of emergency department visits for people diagnosed with COVID-19 is low, but it is growing, the CDC said. The visit was the best for children under the age of four, but experts said it made sense as many people were not vaccinated.
Wastewater that monitors infectious diseases through the city’s wastewater system has categorized national coronavirus levels as “high” and rising.
The CDC says that coronavirus wastewater virus activity levels are currently low, with only Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, California, Alaska and Texas reporting “high” or “very high” levels.
Experts say the lack of data makes it difficult to track Covid-19 in real time, but the information available indicates that the expected seasonal wave is occurring.
Since 2020, Covid-19 has peaked twice a year. Cases rise in winter, fall in spring, travel peaks in summer, and people seek air-conditioned indoor spaces away from the heat.
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Other respiratory viruses remain low levels until winter, but experts say the ability of Covid-19 to mutate makes it stand out and contributes to a much higher baseline infection rate. As the number of cases circulating throughout the year increases, the chances of the virus mutating increases.
The vaccine, which will be renewed for next fall season, is targeting the JN.1 variant, as it did last year. However, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has significantly narrowed recommendations on who should get the vaccine, raising important questions about availability and affordability.
In May, Kennedy said shots were no longer recommended for healthy children, but health experts said there was no scientific basis. A coalition of medical groups then called for the move.
Additionally, the new policy requires that all updated COVID-19 vaccines undergo extensive placebo-controlled clinical trials, as if they were new shots rather than updates of what is already present.
The updated Covid-19 shot is expected to be available to adults over 65 in the fall. Children and adults with at least one disease will be exempt from clinical trial requirements.
