Local COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Rising To Pre-Vaccine Levels
https://dcist.com/story/21/08/27/covid-cases-hospitalizations-increasing-with-delta-spread/
As the D.C. region barrels towards another pandemic autumn, cases and hospitalizations are continuing to rise in the D.C. region.
Just last week, key metrics like the rolling average of new cases per day, the positivity rate, and hospitalizations looked similar to the numbers reported locally in April, before vaccines became widely available. Now, the regions case numbers and hospitalizations are hitting levels not recorded since earlier this spring, when vaccination rollouts were still hobbled by low supply and overwhelming demand. While hospital capacity remains stable and the rise in infections has not yet led to a similar spike in deaths from the virus, the consistently climbing metrics and plateauing vaccination rates underscore the severe infectiousness of the delta variant.
On Thursday, D.C. reported 210 new COVID-19 cases in one day, marking the first time the city has recorded more than 200 infections since February. (One day in early March, the District reported more than 300 daily cases due a backlog.) Since Aug. 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified D.C.s level of spread as high, the most severe category. As of this week, the citys average rate of new cases per 100,000 residents has hit levels not seen since March, per D.C.s coronavirus data.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in the city dipped significantly in the early summer months, but began to climb this August. As of Wednesday, 116 people in the city were hospitalized with the virus, and 26 of those people are being treated in intensive care units. One month ago, a total of 21 residents were hospitalized due to COVID-19. The number of patients hospitalized with the virus last topped 100 in late April into early May, and began steadily declining throughout the summer.
Not looking good. I never stopped masking indoors, even in my building.