As the holidays approach and the respiratory viral season sets in, several states are seeing an increase in COVID-19 related deaths.
Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eight states have reported a surge in coronavirus deaths. These states include Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Michigan, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The percentage of deaths caused by COVID-19 ranged from 0.1% in Colorado to 3% in Maryland, indicating an alarming trend.
Both Colorado and Maryland were the only states with COVID-19 deaths falling within the 4 to 5.9% range. Meanwhile, Maine was not far behind at 4%, raising concerns about the spread of the virus in these areas.
Nationally, the U.S. reported a 0.2% increase in COVID-19 deaths, accompanied by an 8.6% rise in hospitalizations due to the virus. Currently, only 1.3% of U.S. counties are experiencing high hospital admission levels, while 86% are considered to have low rates.
According to the CDC’s Respiratory Disease Season Outlook, the U.S. is projected to have similar hospitalization rates as the previous winter. The majority of the country is reporting minimal or low rates of emergency department visits with positive COVID-19 tests, although there was a 7.1% increase in ED visits in the most recent week.
New Mexico stands out as the only state with “substantial” rates of positive COVID-19 ED visits, indicating the severity of the situation in that region.
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