Here are the latest national COVID-19 trends, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and major wastewater surveillance providers:
- COVID-19 test positivity increased slightly, from 0.9% of COVID-19 tests returning positive results during the week ending June 20 to 1.0% positive during the week ending June 27.
- SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater stayed consistent between June 20 and June 27, and the national wastewater viral activity level is “very low,” per the CDC.
- SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater increased 37% between June 17 and June 24, and the national wastewater trend is “medium,” per WastewaterSCAN.
While national COVID-19 averages remain low in the U.S., signals continue to accumulate that a summer wave is getting underway. It’s starting most prominently in the South, but there are also notable increases and hotspots in other parts of the country. As the latest data are from late June (before the recent holiday), actual COVID-19 levels are likely now higher in these locations.
In wastewater surveillance data: WastewaterSCAN has updated its national SARS-CoV-2 category to “medium” this week, along with “medium” regional levels in the South, Northeast, and Midwest. Unlike other data providers, WWSCAN bases its categories on both magnitude and direction of viral levels in wastewater; the average amount of SARS-CoV-2 is still quite low compared to the last few years of data, but there have been significant increases in the last three weeks.
WWSCAN specifically reports higher coronavirus levels and recent increases at some testing sites in Florida, Texas, Georgia, Nebraska, Ohio, Indiana, California, and Alaska. Meanwhile, the CDC continues to report “very low” national and regional averages in its wastewater data. This week, the agency flagged three states with “low” wastewater viral activity levels compared to “very low” in all other states: Texas, Oregon, and Washington.
The CDC’s healthcare system data also report COVID-19 outbreaks in the South and elsewhere. In test positivity data from the agency’s PCR testing network, there are increases in New York and New Jersey (health region 2), the Southeast (region 4), central South (region 6), and Mountain West (region 8). The national average of test positivity has gone above 1% for the first time in two months.
Similarly, the CDC’s infectious disease forecasting center estimates that COVID-19 cases are “growing or likely growing” in nine states as of June 30: Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and California. Cases are “declining or likely declining” in 22 states and “not changing” in 19 states, per the center.
As the latest data are from late June, it’s worth noting that COVID-19 levels are likely higher than reported in communities with outbreaks. Summer travel, holiday gatherings, and large events like the World Cup games are all likely contributing to increased disease spread.
There are other pathogens circulating in the U.S. right now, too. A parasitic infection called cyclosporiasis, which spreads through contaminated food, is on the rise; health officials are particularly concerned about a recent outbreak in Michigan, NBC News reported. And it may be an “intense” year for West Nile virus, a pathogen that spreads through mosquitoes — the season for this virus has started earlier this year than any time in the last two decades, CNN reports.
