COVID Hospitalizations Continue to Rise Despite Overall Cases Remaining Low

COVID Hospitalizations Continue to Rise , Despite Overall Cases Remaining Low.

ABC reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continue to increase in the United States.

As of the week ending August 5, the number of hospitalizations increased 14.3% from 9,026 to 10,320.

ABC reports that despite the double-digit percentage jump, the absolute number of hospitalizations remains quite low.

In January 2022, amid a surge of the Omicron variant, weekly hospitalizations peaked at 150,674.

We have to remember that we're still dealing with numbers that are far less than what we've seen for the pandemic, Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, via ABC.

We have to zoom out to look at our experience for the entire pandemic, to understand that what we're dealing with now is far from any crisis that we've experienced with previous waves, Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, via ABC.

ABC reports that deaths from COVID also increased slightly in July.

Proportionately, it makes sense that when you have increased transmission, you will see proportionately some increase in hospitalizations, and you will see some increase in deaths, Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, via ABC.

But there's a decoupling that is happening between cases and hospitalizations, where a jump in cases doesn't necessarily mean as big a jump in hospitalizations and deaths, Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, via ABC.

ABC reports that all subvariants currently in circulation are related to XBB, an offshoot of Omicron.

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According to the CDC, the latest EG.5 variant now makes up approximately 17% of all new cases.