COVID Hospitalizations Continue to Rise , Despite Overall Cases Remaining Low.<br />ABC reports that the Centers for Disease Control and <br />Prevention (CDC) has warned that hospitalizations due <br />to COVID-19 continue to increase in the United States.<br />As of the week ending August 5, <br />the number of hospitalizations <br />increased 14.3% from 9,026 to 10,320.<br />ABC reports that despite the double-digit <br />percentage jump, the absolute number <br />of hospitalizations remains quite low.<br />In January 2022, amid a surge <br />of the Omicron variant, weekly <br />hospitalizations peaked at 150,674.<br />We have to remember that we're still <br />dealing with numbers that are far less <br />than what we've seen for the pandemic, Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and chief innovation <br />officer at Boston Children's Hospital, via ABC.<br />We have to zoom out to look at our <br />experience for the entire pandemic, <br />to understand that what we're dealing <br />with now is far from any crisis that <br />we've experienced with previous waves, Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and chief innovation <br />officer at Boston Children's Hospital, via ABC.<br />ABC reports that deaths from COVID <br />also increased slightly in July.<br />Proportionately, it makes sense that <br />when you have increased transmission, <br />you will see proportionately some <br />increase in hospitalizations, and you <br />will see some increase in deaths, Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and chief innovation <br />officer at Boston Children's Hospital, via ABC.<br />But there's a decoupling that is happening <br />between cases and hospitalizations, where <br />a jump in cases doesn't necessarily mean <br />as big a jump in hospitalizations and deaths, Dr. John Brownstein, epidemiologist and chief innovation <br />officer at Boston Children's Hospital, via ABC.<br />ABC reports that all subvariants <br />currently in circulation are related <br />to XBB, an offshoot of Omicron. .<br />According to the CDC, the latest EG.5 variant now <br />makes up approximately 17% of all new cases.
