40 States and Territories See Increases in Infections
Cases Have Increased 32 Percent Nationwide Since September 9
States Set Hospitalization Records
Children Now Make Up 10 Percent Of All Cases — Up From 2 Percent In April
Dr. Fauci: US “Not In A Good Place” On Dealing With Virus
At Least 85% of US Population Still Vulnerable
At last night’s presidential debate, Donald Trump did what Donald Trump does: downplay the cost of this pandemic, and try to cast blame on everyone but himself.
But the truth is that the President failed to confront the coronavirus crisis, and, as a result, the pandemic continues to rage across the country. Yesterday alone, 914 Americans lost their lives. More than 205,000 have died since the outbreak began. And cases continue to rise across the country — stressing hospitals and putting Americans at risk.
National Trends Suggest the United States Still Has a Long Way to Go
Dr. Anthony Fauci: “We’re Not In A Good Place.”
- “On Friday, the U.S. logged 55,759 cases — the largest single day total in a month. And the troubling development comes as the global death toll from the virus passed 1 million with the U.S. continuing to account for over a fifth of those fatalities. ‘We’re not in a good place,’ Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, warned Monday on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America.’” [NBC News, 9/29/20]
Epidemiological Findings Suggest That 85-90 Percent Of Americans Are Still Vulnerable To The Virus.
- “In the last week, leading epidemiologists from respected institutions have, through different methods, reached the same conclusion: About 85 to 90 percent of the American population is still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the current pandemic. The number is important because it means that ‘herd immunity’ — the point at which a disease stops spreading because nearly everyone in a population has contracted it — is still very far off. The evidence came from antibody testing and from epidemiological modeling. At the request of The New York Times, three epidemiological teams last week calculated the percentage of the country that is infected. What they found runs strongly counter to a theory being promoted in influential circles that the United States has either already achieved herd immunity or is close to doing so, and that the pandemic is all but over. That conclusion would imply that businesses, schools and restaurants could safely reopen, and that masks and other distancing measures could be abandoned.” [New York Times, 9/29/20]
Cases Have Increased 32 Percent Nationwide Since September 9.
- “Heading into the fall and winter, there are clear signs of a third resurgence bearing a close resemblance to what we saw in early June. Since the most recent nadir on Sept. 9, when the national rate was at 34,300 cases a day—still a notch above the April peak—cases have risen to 45,300 a day, a 32% increase.” [Time, 9/28/20]
Forty States And Territories Have Seen COVID-19 Infections Increase Over The Last Two Weeks, With Some States Seeing Increases Of Over 100 Percent.
- “Forty states and territories have seen an increase over the last two weeks as of Saturday, just days after the U.S. logged its 7 millionth confirmed coronavirus case. Wyoming was the nation’s new hot spot with a 128 percent jump in new cases followed by Utah (111 percent), Wisconsin (104 percent) and Colorado (97 percent).” [NBC News, 9/29/20]
New COVID-19 Infections Have Increased By At Least 10 Percent In 21 States.
- “Almost half the US is reporting increased numbers of new Covid-19 cases as health experts warn of a potential coronavirus surge in the fall and winter. As of Sunday, the number of new coronavirus cases has increased by at least 10% or more compared to the week before in 21 states, most of them in the West, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.” [CNN, 9/28/20]
As Cases Among Young Americans Rise, Studies Show They Are At Risk Of Serious Illness
Children Now Make Up 10 Percent Of All Cases — Up From 2 Percent In April.
- “Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S cases, up from 2% in April, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Tuesday. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the incidence of COVID-19 in school-age children began rising in early September as many youngsters returned to their classrooms.” [Associated Press, 9/29/20]
Weekly Cases Of COVID-19 Among Young Adults Rose 55 Percent Between August 2 and September 5 As Students Returned To Campus.
- “Between Aug. 2 and Sept. 5, weekly cases of COVID-19 among people aged 18 to 22 rose 55.1%. The Northeast region recorded a 144% increase in COVID-19 cases, while Midwest cases rose 123.4%, the report said. The uptick in cases was not solely attributable to increased testing and could be linked to some universities resuming in-person attendance, the CDC researchers said. They also said transmission could also be among young adults not attending college.” [Reuters, 9/29/20]
21 Percent Of Adults Ages 18-34 Hospitalized With COVID-19 Required Intensive Care.
- “New findings published this month further reveal how severely Covid-19 can affect young adults. A research paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that among more than 3,200 adults ages 18 to 34 who were hospitalized with the disease, 21 percent required intensive care, 10 percent required mechanical ventilation and nearly 3 percent — 88 patients — died. Of those who survived, 3 percent — 99 patients — had to be discharged to another health care facility to continue their recoveries.” [NBC News, 9/28/20]
State by State, Outbreaks Are Pushing Cases and Hospitalizations to New Highs
Florida
Florida Reported A Spike In Cases Days After Moving To Phase 3 Of Reopening.
- “Florida reported a spike in new coronavirus cases Tuesday, just days after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order allowing restaurants and bars to operate at full capacity. New cases surged to 3,266 from the 738 reported Monday, according to the state’s health department. That’s the highest one-day number since September 19. DeSantis lifted restrictions on bars and residents Friday, and scenes of crowded bars and restaurants played out around the state over the weekend.” [CNN, 9/29/20]
Iowa
Iowa Is Reporting Its Highest Number Of Hospitalizations Since May, The Numbers Rising 39 Percent In Eight Days.
- “COVID-19 hospitalizations in Iowa are up from 353 to 376 as of Tuesday at 11 a.m., the highest total here since May 28, according to data analyzed by The Gazette. Statewide, hospitalizations have increased 39 percent in the past eight days. Intensive-care patients went up one from 96 to 97, and patients on ventilators went down from 39 to 36.” [Cedar Rapids Gazette, 9/29/20]
Maine
Maine Top Health Official: “It’s Not Just That We Have Several Outbreaks There, But That They Are Coalescing Into One Big Fire.”
- “Dr. Nirav Shah, the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that with community transmission cases can keep doubling rapidly. ‘I am extremely, extremely concerned,’ Shah told the Portland Press Herald. ‘It’s not just that we have several outbreaks there, but that they are coalescing into one big fire,’ Mills said. On Friday, York County’s seven-day average of new cases hit an all-time high of 15.7 per day, nearly double the previous peak of 8.7 set on July 2. Case numbers are also climbing in Oxford County.” [Associated Press, 9/28/20]
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, The Three-Day Average Number Of Hospitalizations Is Up More Than 27% In The Last Month.
- “At the same time that the number of daily new cases inches upward and the number of active cases of the highly-contagious virus continues a climb it started in July, Massachusetts hospitals on Sunday saw a spike in COVID-19 patients needing to be hospitalized. There were 408 being treated for COVID-19 in a hospital as of midday Sunday, an increase of 54 from Saturday, health officials said. Sunday’s spike more than erased the decrease of 35 patients between Friday and Saturday. In the last month, the three-day average number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized is up more than 27%.” [NBC Boston, 9/29/20]
Minnesota
Hospitalizations Are Climbing In Minnesota, Reaching Their Highest Level Since May.
- “Minnesota posted another 817 confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday with hospitalizations rising to their highest level since late May.” [Minnesota Public Radio, 9/29/20]
Missouri
Hospitalizations In Missouri Have Hit A Record High Since July After Increasing Every Day Since September 6.
- “The state of Missouri hit another high since July for hospitalizations, according to the state’s Covid-19 dashboard. Hospitalizations were at 1,139 Tuesday, according to the state’s website. Hospitalizations have been increasing every day since Sept. 6, when the state reported 930 people hospitalized. “ [CNN, 9/30/20]
New York
On September 26, New York Reported 1,000 New Coronavirus Cases For The First Time Since June While The New York City Health Department Warned That Cases Were Spiking At An “Alarming Rate” In Eight City Neighborhoods.
- “For the first time since early June, New York state reported more than 1,000 new cases Saturday — prompting Gov. Andrew Cuomo to warn that this virus ‘remains a force to be reckoned with throughout the country.’ ‘It’s vital that New Yorkers continue to practice the basic behaviors that drive our ability to fight Covid-19 as we move into the fall and flu season,’ Cuomo said. ‘Wearing masks, socially distancing and washing hands make a critical difference.’ In New York City, ‘COVID-19 cases continue to grow at an alarming rate in eight neighborhoods in the city, outpacing the citywide average by 3.3 times over the past 14 days,’ the NYC health department said Sunday.” [CNN, 9/28/20]
North Dakota
As Of September 25, Seven Of Eight Days In North Dakota Saw New Coronavirus Infection Records.
- “State health officials on Friday, Sept. 25, reported 3,562 residents known to be infected with the virus, marking the seventh day in the last eight where the state has set a new record in active cases. There are 89 North Dakotans hospitalized due to COVID-19, a total unchanged from Thursday, with 25 in intensive care.” [Grand Forks Herald, 9/25/20]
North Dakota Reported A Record Number Of Hospitalizations On September 28.
- “There have been 17,511 recoveries since the onset of the pandemic in the state in mid-March, and 848 hospitalizations. Current coronavirus-related hospitalizations remained at 105, unchanged from Monday’s all-time high.” [Bismarck Tribune, 9/29/20]
South Dakota
The Rolling Average Of New Coronavirus Cases In South Dakota Has Increased By 50% In Two Weeks.
- “Over the last two weeks, South Dakota has reported the nation’s second-highest number of new coronavirus cases per capita. The rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by nearly 50% in that time.” [CBS, 9/28/20]
Utah
Utah Physicians Are Calling For A Mask Mandate As More Than 1000 New Cases Are Reported Daily.
- “Utah’s largest organization of physicians, the Utah Medical Association (UMA) has sent a letter to Governor Gary Herbert, asking for a statewide face-covering mandate be issued to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Utah has experienced a drastic spike in COVID-19 cases recently, with a rolling average of over 1000 cases per day and a 14% infection rate.” [ABC 4, 9/29/20]
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Now Ranks Third Nationwide For New Coronavirus Cases Per Capita.
- “As of Monday, Wisconsin ranked third nationwide for new cases per capita with 459 new cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks. La Crosse and Brown counties were both in the top 10 for highest cases per capita in the state. To date, more than 117,500 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Wisconsin and 1,283 have died, according to the state Department of Health Services.” [Chicago Tribune, 9/28/20]
Wisconsin Is Now Reporting A 22 Percent Test Positivity Rate As Hospitals Near Capacity.
- “As the state’s outbreak balloons to one of the nation’s worst, the surge of cases and hospitalizations in Northeast Wisconsin is unlike anything the region has experienced since the pandemic began. Green Bay and Fox Valley-area hospitals are near capacity, and local resources are strained as cases rise at a nearly exponential rate. While growth has slowed among college-aged people, that gain has been lost to rapid increases among other age groups… The state Department of Health Services on Monday reported 1,726 new cases and 6,159 negative tests for a positivity rate of 21.9%.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/28/20]
Hospitalizations In Wisconsin Have Doubled Since September 18.
- “In Wisconsin, Covid-19-related hospitalizations have almost doubled since September 18, according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, with ‘multiple hospitals’ nearing capacity… the [Wisconsin Health Association sent [Governor] Evers a letter ‘requesting additional and immediate policy steps be taken to help hospitals preserve access to care during this troubling new phase of the pandemic.’ ‘Over the past week, the rate of COVID-19 patients hospitalized per day in Wisconsin has rapidly increased from 362 per day on September 19, to 528 per day on September 24 — a new record that exceeds the previous peak of 446 hospitalizations per day on April 9,” the letter dated September 25 reads.” [CNN, 9/29/20]