BA.5 is making up 53.6% of total COVID cases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The daily average of patients hospitalized in intensive-care units (ICUs) has climbed to the highest since March 18.
While the daily averages of new COVID-19 cases and deaths remained in relatively tight ranges, hospitalizations jumped to a four-month high, and the positivity rate of tests climbed to a five-month high, as the omicron subvariant BA.5 continued to spread.
The daily average of those hospitalized in intensive-care units has climbed 14% in two weeks to 3,924, the most since March 18. The latest data from the CDC shows that the percentage of fully vaccinated Americans has held steady at 66.9% of the total population. The percentage of fully vaccinated people who have received a booster shot was also little change, at 47.8%.
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