Six states have seen a moderate to substantial increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
COVID-19 hospitalizations went up over the summer, but have started to drop in recent weeks.
There were 16,766 admissions in the week through October 7, down 8.2 percent from the previous week.
While COVID-19 hospitalizations are considered low in much of the country, there were two states where they rose by more than 20 percent that week, which the CDC classes as a "substantial" increase.
New Hampshire saw the highest increase (36.8 percent) in new hospital admissions, followed by Rhode Island with 26.8 percent.
Four states saw a moderate—between 10 and 19.9 percent—increase in hospital admissions: Alaska (19 percent), Idaho (12.8 percent), New Jersey (11.5 percent) and Kansas (11.1 percent).
At the other end of the spectrum, four states and the Virgin Islands saw hospital admissions drop by more than 30 percent.
The Virgin Islands saw hospital admissions drop by 100 percent. Montana recorded a 35 percent decrease, followed by Vermont with 31.1 percent, Missouri with 31 percent and Nebraska with 30.8 percent.
The CDC has urged most Americans to get a fall COVID-19 vaccination, shots tweaked to protect against a newer coronavirus strain, as experts are concerned that immunity from previous vaccinations and infections is fading in many people.
Updated coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna began rolling out in September, intended for adults and children as young as 6 months. Earlier in October, the U.S. authorized updated shots made by Novavax for anyone aged 12 or older.
"While rates now seem to be plateauing, we are entering October, which is the typical start of the respiratory virus season," a CDC spokesperson told Newsweek last month.
"Even if hospitalization rates level off for a few weeks, they could increase in the coming weeks, and prevention is the best approach."
The CDC said everyone aged 5 and older should get one dose of an updated COVID vaccine to protect against serious illness, while those aged between 6 months and 4 years may need multiple doses of coronavirus vaccines to be up to date, including one dose of an updated vaccine.
Those who recently had COVID may consider delaying getting the new shot by three months as reinfection is less likely in the weeks to months after being sick, the CDC said. However, it advised taking into account certain factors to get the shot sooner rather than later, including personal risk of severe illness, risk of illness in a loved one or close contact and local COVID hospital admission level.
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.
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Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on abortion rights, race, education, ... Read more
