COVID-19 cases are rising across more than half the United States, with new CDC data showing increased activity in at least 26 states and Washington, D.C., as the nation enters the heart of the summer season. Emergency department visits tied to the virus have also surged, particularly among children under age 4, marking the highest pediatric COVID-related ER activity since March.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its July 18 trend report that both confirmed and likely case growth is underway in large swaths of the country, especially in the South and Southeast. While overall national illness levels remain low, the CDC's epidemic modeling indicates a clear seasonal rise, consistent with summer spikes observed each year since 2020.
Dr. Jon LaPook, chief medical correspondent for CBS News, noted Monday on "CBS Mornings" that the summer trend is now well established. "We now know that there's a winter spike and then there's a summer spike," he said. "The number of deaths, the number of hospitalizations, is gradually going down each season. So that's the good news."
However, LaPook cautioned against complacency, emphasizing risks for vulnerable groups. "If it strikes you, especially for the vulnerable, and we're talking about very young children under age of 4, the elderly, people who are immunocompromised - they can really get sick," he said.
The CDC attributes the current uptick to emerging subvariants nicknamed "Nimbus" and "Stratus." According to LaPook, the new strains are "no more deadly" than earlier ones and exhibit similar symptoms such as cough, sore throat, fever, and fatigue. "The vaccines that were made for this season do cover the current variants, so that's good news," he added.
Still, vaccination guidance remains mixed. "We're in a bit of an odd period," LaPook said, pointing to discrepancies between CDC recommendations and those of groups like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. That organization urges pregnant individuals to receive updated COVID-19 vaccines to protect newborns through placental antibody transfer.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has endorsed what he called "shared decision making" on vaccination, encouraging individuals to consult with clinicians instead of following blanket guidance. The CDC has echoed that approach for pediatric vaccination, particularly for healthy children, while maintaining its recommendation that adults over 65 or those at high risk receive the 2024-2025 formulation.
COVID-19 case activity is currently growing in the following 10 states:
- Arkansas
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Virginia
Cases are likely growing in these additional 16 states plus D.C.:
- Alaska
- California
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
