COVID-19 Hospitalizations And Deaths Increased 40%, Cases Hit 100,000 Daily Average

COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths increased roughly 40% since last week in the U.S., with daily new cases passing 100,000, federal health officials said Thursday.

“Across the board, we are seeing increases in cases and hospitalizations in all age groups,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House coronavirus briefing.

Florida leads the nation’s leading state in number of adults and children admitted into the hospital with confirmed cases, according to CDC data. Florida accounts for nearly one out of every five new infections and hospitalizations in the country. It logged 73,181 COVID-19 cases, over 12,373 hospitalizations and 319 deaths over the past week.

“We’re dealing with the delta variant, a mutation that is far more infectious, transmitting to more individuals and leading to greater complications,” Florida Hospital Association president Mary Mayhew told Tampa Bay Times.

There are several factors that contribute to the new spike in cases.

Epidemiologists say large numbers of unvaccinated people, a relaxation of preventive measures like mask-wearing and social distancing, the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus and the congregation of people indoors during hot summer months have been contributing factors, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In order to curb the spread and lower these rising numbers, health officials reiterated the importance of getting vaccinated.

Texas and California follow Florida as the nation’s states with leading COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.