Coronavirus cases are increasing once again throughout the United Areas, resulting in an increase in hospital visits among infected Americans, and a few states experiencing particularly severe coronavirus outbreaks are reporting hospitalization rates that are more than average.
Key Facts
- According to government statistics collected by the New York Times, hospitals in the United States kept an average of 21,695 coronavirus patients in inpatient beds during the past week, up thirty percent from two weeks ago but more than 80% down from the country’s mid-January spike.
- Coronavirus patients now occupy about 3.2 percent of the country’s inpatient beds, according to the HHS
- Nevada is the most affected state, accounting for about 9.5 percent of total inpatient beds, according to HHS data – Nevada is also experiencing a viral epidemic, with the average number of new cases recorded each day increasing from 449 to 717 in the past two weeks.
- Missouri is close following, with 8.7 percent of hospital beds filled by coronavirus patients, as the state grapples with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the nation and several hospitals in southwestern Missouri prepare for a potential capacity crisis.
- According to a Times investigation, total current coronavirus hospitalization increased by at least 80% in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Nevada, during the past two weeks.
On the other hand, many states with a low prevalence of coronavirus infection utilize fewer than 1% of total hospital beds for coronavirus patients: Wisconsin, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
SURPRISING FACT
Nationally, hospital wards have not yet reported a significant capacity constraint. According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, about 72% of inpatient beds and 68% of ICU beds were filled last week by patients with coronavirus and other diseases, almost constant from three months earlier.
NUMBERS
29,604. That is the number of coronavirus cases recorded daily in the past week throughout the country, more than double the rate two weeks earlier, according to CDC statistics released Friday.
KEY BACKGROUND
Health officials have attributed the recent increase in coronavirus infections to the virus’s infectious new Delta form, which became the prevalent strain in the United States this month. Alternating vaccination records may also be a factor: While about 56% of Americans are partly vaccinated against Covid-19, vaccination rates have slowed significantly, and a few states have immunization rates far below 50%.
Virtually every city and state lifted mask mandates and social distancing restrictions in the spring, though some cities, including Mississippi, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, have responded to the rise in the infection rates in the past week by formulating some public health rules or implementing voluntary recommendations.
