Sixteen U.S. states had a substantial increase in coronavirus hospitalizations in the week leading up to Christmas compared with the previous seven days, maps from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show.
There were 29,059 new COVID-19 admissions across the U.S. in the week ending December 23—an overall rise of 16.7 percent over the previous seven days. These increases were higher among states along the Atlantic coast and in the southeast, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. At the same time, the prevalence of positive tests has risen in the central Midwest.
The uptick in hospitalizations is something health officials have expected during the winter months.
Colder weather tends to lead to an increased spread of viruses and other infections because immunity is lower. One 2020 study suggested the COVID virus could remain active for longer in cold, dry conditions.
However, elevated infections of respiratory diseases such as COVID and influenza have led to some hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. bringing in fresh mask mandates.
Hospitalizations with COVID-19 had risen steadily since late June before peaking at the start of September. They then fell slightly before remaining largely stable through October, hovering around 15,000 nationwide, before beginning to rise through November and December. The levels remain well below the highest recorded peak: over 150,600 patients in the week ending January 15, 2022.
The latest figures, released on Friday, show that Delaware had the greatest rise in hospitalizations, up 61.9 percent on the previous week.
South Carolina and Louisiana saw week-on-week increases of nearly 50 percent—49 and 48 percent respectively—while in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Mississippi, hospital admissions for the virus were up by more than 30 percent.
Other states the CDC classified as having seen substantial rises in hospitalizations—including New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas—all had statewide increases of more than 20 percent week-on-week.
States in the Great Lakes region; Alabama and Arkansas in the South; Montana and Wyoming in the North; and California and Nevada to the West all saw rises of more than 10 percent on the week prior.
In many other states, the number of hospitalizations was deemed stable, meaning rates showed either small increases or decreases of less than 10 percent. Utah was the only state to see a moderate decrease of 18.3 percent compared to the previous week, while Iowa was the only one to see a substantial decrease, of 22.8 percent.
While the magnitude of the rises in some states might be startling, they often represent a relatively low number of hospital admissions. In Delaware, there were just 102 hospitalizations in a week, out of a total of 20,997 since August 2020.
Nationwide, there has been a 3 percent rise in the number of COVID-19 patients occupying intensive-care unit beds, representing the worst cases, which usually require ventilation. Deaths from the virus rose week to week by 10 percent, though deaths data for many states is missing.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aleks Phillips is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter based in London. His focus is on U.S. politics and the environment. ... Read more
