The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that nearly half of the United States reported “very high” levels of COVID-19 activity last month.
As COVID concerns have eased across the United States, the CDC has begun relying on wastewater data to track the virus, which often lags several weeks behind current case counts.
Data collected between August 25 and August 31 by the CDC shows that 23 states have reported “very high” levels of viral activity in wastewater across the country. The data was released on September 5.
Here are the overall figures for states and territories that have reported levels of viral activity in wastewater as of August 31.
Can’t see the table? Click here to view it.
Use: Wastewater data is typically updated weekly, with the data posted showing results from the previous week. However, it can take five days to a week for results to be posted online. Therefore, data from August 31 is considered the most recent.
Here are the overall figures for states and territories that have reported levels of viral activity in wastewater as of August 31.
Map of current levels of viral activity in COVID-19 wastewater
Can’t see the map? Click here to view it.
Which variant currently has the most COVID-19 cases?
HeThe CDC’s Nowcast data tracker, which shows COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods, projected that the KP.3.1.1 variant accounts for 42.2% of positive infections, followed by KP.2.3 at 14.6% in the two-week period beginning August 18 and ending August 31.
“The KP.3.1.1 variant is very similar to other variants circulating in the United States. All current lineages are descendants of JN.1, which emerged in late 2023,” CDC spokesperson Rosa Norman previously told USA TODAY.
Changes in COVID-19 test positivity in one week
Data collected by CDC shows that six Southern states that make up Region 6 had the largest decrease (-4.4%) in positive COVID-19 cases from August 25, 2024, to August 31, 2024.
The data was published on September 9.
Use:The CDC organizes the positivity rate based on regionsas defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Here is a list of changes in COVID-19 positivity in states and their regions over the past week:
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Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Nueva Hampshire, Rhode Island y Vermont): -2,4%
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Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands): +0,7%
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Region 3 (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia): +3,6%
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Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee): -0,6%
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Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin): +1,1%
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Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas): -4,4%
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Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska): -0,2%
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Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming): -2,8%
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Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau): +0,8%
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Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington): +0,1%
CDC data shows COVID-19 test positivity rate It was recorded in 16.3% For the week From August 35 to August 31, an absolute change of -0.4% compared to the previous week.
COVID-19 Symptoms
The CDC outlines the basic symptoms of COVID-19 on its website. These symptoms can appear between two and fourteen days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.
These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:
The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:
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Difficulty breathing
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Persistent pain or pressure in the chest.
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New confusion
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Inability to wake up or stay awake
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Pale, gray, or bluish skin, lips, or nail beds
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on USA TODAY’s national trends team. Ahjané covers breaking news, vehicle recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC reports ‘very high’ levels of COVID-19 in half of US
