U.S. COVID Cases, Hospitalizations Set Record

The number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations reported in the United States over the past week increased to record levels as rising deaths remained below previous pandemic milestones, according to an analysis of data from the Coronavirus Resource Center.

The 5 million weekly cases reported through Sunday, Jan. 9, represents a 76% increase from the previous week and more than double the number seen at the same time last year. While deaths increased by 29% to 11,307 last week, the fatalities remained lower than the 23,000 reported during the same period in 2021 when weekly cases stood at 1.7 million.

The average daily cases over the past week were more than 700,000, driving the total number of reported cases in the United States to 60 million over the past two years.

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“The U.S. is in the midst of an unprecedented surge, with more COVID cases reported this week than at any other time during the pandemic,” said Emily Pond, a research data scientist for the Coronavirus Resource Center and the Center for Health Security in the Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Nearly all states – except Maine and Georgia – have reported sustained increase in cases of two weeks or more.”

CASES

After adjusting for populations, states with the largest past-week case counts were: Rhode Island (3,301 cases per 100,000 residents), New York (3,059), New Jersey (2,483), Washington, D.C. (2,232), and Massachusetts (2,021).

The states with the largest percentage increases were Alaska (up 336%), Texas (305%), Oregon (259%), Utah (240%), and Kansas (227%).

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“While per capita numbers are highest in the Northeast, the South and West appear to be increasing most rapidly,” Pond said.

DEATHS

The total number of COVID-related deaths in the United States now stands at more than 837,000. The states with the most deaths per capita this past week were Michigan (9 deaths per 100,000 residents), Indiana (9), Delaware (8), Wyoming (8), Pennsylvania (7), and Nebraska (7).

The U.S. jurisdictions with the largest percentage increases were Nebraska (up 519%), Washington, D.C. (300%), Puerto Rico (232%), Connecticut (161%), and Louisiana (106%).

HOSPITALIZATIONS

States reported 140,472 inpatient hospital admissions over the past week, a 30% jump over the previous week. Among them were 23,553 admissions to intensive care units (ICU), a 14% increase.

“This is the U.S.’s highest inpatient number in the history of the pandemic,” Pond said. “This time last year inpatient and ICU figures were 136,000 and 29,500, respectively.”

The greatest population-adjusted figures are in Washington, D.C. (128 inpatients per 100,000 residents), New Jersey (68), New York (63), Ohio (60), and Pennsylvania (58).

Fourteen states have reported record high hospitalizations this past week: Washington D.C., Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. In addition, seven states reported record high ICU admissions: Connecticut, Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, and Virginia.

Nearly all states and jurisdictions reported increases in hospitalizations. The fastest surges were reported in Puerto Rico (up 76%), Alabama (50%), Louisiana (49%), California (45%), and Texas (40%).

Search state information at the Coronavirus Resource Center’s By Region page