COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the U.S. once again, driven by the new KP.3.1.1 variant. However, the situation is not the same everywhere; some states are experiencing higher infection rates than others.
Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights that five Southern and Southwestern states—Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas—are currently seeing the highest positive test rates, with nearly 1 in 4 tests yielding a positive result.
Since early April, a group of highly transmissible Omicron subvariants, known as the “FLiRT” subvariants due to specific mutations, have gained traction globally. These variants now represent over 75% of U.S. COVID cases, with KP.3.1.1 accounting for more than a third of these infections.
As of August 10, the CDC reported that 18.1% of U.S. COVID tests—excluding at-home tests—are returning positive. This increase is not uniform across the nation.
The accompanying map shows the distribution of positive tests across the ten U.S. Health and Human Services regions.
CDC
Region six, covering Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, has the highest positivity rate at 23.8%, although this marks a slight dip from the previous week. Region seven, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, follows with a positivity rate of 18.8%, while region five (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) isn’t far behind at 18.5%.
Conversely, region four—comprising Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada—reported the lowest positivity rate at 13.2%, representing a notable decrease of 5.8% from last week.
This uptick in infections coincides with a significant rise in COVID-19 detections in wastewater samples, indicating widespread viral presence across the country, according to the CDC.
Despite the increase in positivity rates, hospitalizations remain relatively low. The new FLiRT variants, although more contagious, tend not to cause severe illness. Nonetheless, it’s crucial to isolate yourself if you start showing symptoms.