Old US Covid-19 hotspots are the new hotspots

Public health officials and epidemiologists say the increasing caseload in many parts of the country can be attributed to a constellation of factors, including the spread of more transmissible variants; an increase in infections among younger people, often not vaccinated; relaxed prevention efforts and limited restrictions on indoor dining and masking; as well as pandemic fatigue.

A familiar pattern

After a sharp drop in the fatal fall, the newly reported Covid-19 cases continued to rise in the U.S., but some countries have seen cases bounce back higher. They seem to be following a familiar pattern. When business peaked in mid-April 2020, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York were the largest increases.

However, when the country reached a new high at the end of July, the four states were at a low point when the pandemic center moved to southern and western territory. They rose again in the winter along with the rest of the US and are now the driving force for the latest rise of this year.

Epidemiologists and public health authorities in Michigan have pointed to school sports as a major source of Covid-19 transmission. In addition, major outbreaks nationwide have been linked to the recent Easter holiday and spring.

Styg in variant

The British variant is now the dominant variant in the US. The Middle East, including Michigan and Minnesota, where cases have increased, has some of the largest number of cases of the British variant. The incidence of tension is also high in Tennessee and Florida. The variant has been reported in each state.

Regional versions of the virus, first detected in New York and California, are also gaining ground. Like the British variant, it may be more transmissible than previous versions of the virus, researchers suspect.

The incidence of more contagious variants initially detected in South Africa and Brazil is still low in the US, but given the lack of widespread genetic sequencing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may not have the exact prevalence of all does not offer.

The Biden administration on Friday announced a $ 1 billion investment to expand genomic order in the CDC, states and jurisdictions, as part of the $ 1.9 billion Covid-19 aid package signed last month. The money is supported by the collection of Covid-19 samples, sequencing and data sharing to identify mutations of the virus.

Younger people infected

Elderly patients have traditionally experienced severe cases of Covid-19, with higher mortality rates and hospitalizations. Higher vaccination rates among older people, who prefer vaccinations, have begun to reshape the trend – which could potentially contribute to the increase in the number of serious cases among younger patients.

Recently, infections and hospitalizations among people under 55 are increasing.

“Hospitals are seeing more and more younger adults – those in their thirties and forties – being admitted with serious illnesses,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, recently said in a newsletter. “And what we really want to do is sharpen that vaccination more and more so that we can be in a place where we have more vaccinations, and that there is less disease.”

About 25.4% of people in the U.S. are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 50.4% of Americans 18 years and older, and 39.5% of the total population, received at least one vaccine dose, the CDC data show.

Newly reported cases declined from a day earlier, with 42,018 reported Sunday after 52,373 reported for Saturday, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The number of new cases recorded each day is usually lower at the beginning of the week because fewer people are tested and many states do not report data on weekends.

—Alberto Cervantes contributed to this article.