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"The nation's leader in infection rate in Rhode Island, which has by far ran away from the rest of the pack in recent day. The state, where 77 percent of residents are fully vaccinated, is recording 507 positive cases every day for every 100,000 residents - a 226 percent increase over the past two weeks. No other state has more than 400 new cases every day per every 100,000 residents.
Massachusetts is the fourth and final state with an infection rate of over 300 per every 100,000 residents, at 359.
> All four states leading the nation have fully vaccinated more than 70 percent of their residents, and each are among the top 20 states in death rate by population.
In Virginia, a state of emergency has been declared by the Governor in an effort to combat capacity shortages during a surge in cases. Under the order, hospitals will be allowed to expand capacity and some regulations on staffing roles will be lifted. The state has suffered a 153 percent increase in cases over the past two weeks, with 200 of every 100,000 residents testing positive every day - both figures putting the state towards the middle of the pack. Virginia is also suffering 0.16 deaths per every 100,000 residents every day, the third lowest rate of any U.S. state.
New Jersey has been one of the hardest struck states by the Omicron-fueled Covid surge tearing through America. The state has the fourth highest infection rate in America, with 350 of every 100,000 residents testing positive for the virus daily.
Only four states are logging more than 300 cases per every 100,000 residents daily.
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[...] A promising sign is coming out of Boston, Massachusetts. The state is among those currently dealing with the worst of the surge, but wastewater data is showing a recent sharp decline in the amount of Covid in the local population.
Wastewater can be tested to find what level of an overall population is dealing with Covid. Traces of the virus are found in a person's urine and stool, and sewage centers can test massive samples to see prevalence of Covid in the population.
Earlier this year, prevalence of Covid in Boston wastewater began to surge, up to 10,000 RNA copies of the virus per milliliter sampled - more than triple previous levels. The figure has quickly declined to 6,000 copies per milliliter, a 40 percent drop in virus prevalence.
'But this suggests good news for the disruption caused by the sheer numbers of infections. Will likely take a few days to show up in case counts, which if they follow will show a peak around now. Just like there was a peak this time last year. Past is prologue,' Bill Hanage, an associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, wrote in a tweet.
Wastewater data from Boston, in Covid-struck Massachusetts, shows that Covid prevalence in sewage has dropped 40% this week after surging to record levels to start the year
The most promising sign for the U.S. is the current situation in England. Once the global hotspot for the variant, cases in the UK are down 45 percent over the past week, with around 120,000 people testing positive every day. While deaths and hospitalizations have risen in recent days, neither figure has managed to keep up with infections at all recently.
What happens in the UK often precedes the U.S. by a few weeks, and the current decline in cases across the pond matches predictions by American health officials that the virus will likely recede in the coming weeks. . ."
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