COVID-19 hospitalizations increase in Texas
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COVID-19 hospitalization rates across Texas increased 44% between June and July amid signs of a late summer wave sweeping the country, Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.
By the numbers: The average COVID-19 hospitalization rate nationwide rose about 17% between June and July, per the latest available CDC data.
- An average of 929 Texans were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the week ending Saturday, a 13.2% increase from the previous week, according Texas Department of State Health Services data.
Of note: A new variant, EG.5, is now the dominant form in the U.S., according to CDC estimates — though it's unclear whether it's directly responsible for the rising numbers.
Reality check: Hospitalizations nationwide remain far below their pandemic-era peak.
- They're down 82% year over year. The CDC reports 10,320 overall hospital admissions in the week between July 30 and Aug. 5, compared with more than 150,000 in one week in January 2022.
Why it matters: Simply put, our guard is down.
- Many of us put COVID in our rearview mirrors, leaving us mentally and practically ill-prepared for another wave.
- "Experts warn the U.S. is lacking critical tools to help manage future waves," Axios' Sabrina Moreno reported.
Zoom in: Metro Health is no longer reporting vaccination levels, COVID-19 positivity rates, lab testing data or hospital trends.
- Cases and deaths are reported on a weekly basis
Be smart: With so little testing these days compared to the height of the pandemic, hospitalization rates are now one of the best ways of estimating broader viral spread.
Yes, but: Hospitalizations aren't a perfect metric.
- Because older people are more vulnerable to severe COVID, for example, hospitalization rates are likely to be higher in states or communities with older populations. (Nursing home resident cases are also rising.) Vaccination rates can be a factor too.
- Hospitalization rates are also a lagging indicator — it takes time for infected people to become ill, and even more time for them to become sick enough to require hospitalization. That delay means hospitalizations are a reflection of what's already happened, rather than a useful early-warning tool.
- The quality of hospitalization reporting can vary as well.
Other signs also point to increased spread.
- Wastewater analysis, for instance, is detecting rising levels of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — nationwide.
The bottom line: There's no sign we're headed for anything like the waves of the peak pandemic era. But it's a reminder that COVID will remain a public health concern for the foreseeable future.