Here are three updates on COVID-19 that ASC leaders should know:
1. Three states reported "very high" levels of respiratory virus activity, according to CDC data from the week ending Jan. 27, the most recent available: Georgia, New Mexico and South Carolina. Fifteen states and Washington, D.C., reported high levels of respiratory virus activity.
2. The dominant variant in the two-week period ending Jan. 6 was JN.1, which accounted for 67.2% of cases nationwide, according to the most recent CDC analysis available. While levels of COVID-19 decreased, levels of influenza rose nationally.
3. There were 22,636 COVID-19-related hospital admissions the week ending Jan. 27, a 10.9% decrease from the previous week, according to CDC data. Emergency department visits due to COVID-19 decreased by 11% and the rate of test positivity decreased 4.6% in the same week.