COVID Cases Update: Map Reveals 5 States With Highest Positive Tests

Texas and its surrounding states continue to have the highest rates of COVID-19 test positivity, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some 13.5 percent of COVID tests across the country were positive in the week ending September 2, down slightly from the previous week.

Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana and Arkansas continue to be the only states where test positivity is above 20 percent, according to the data. All five states had 20.3 percent of tests come back positive that week. Republican governors in Texas and Oklahoma are among those who have banned mask mandates in their states.

Those states were followed by Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa, which all had 14.5 percent test positivity.

In a sign that the coronavirus isn't going anywhere soon, even the states at the other end of the spectrum had at least 11.6 percent test positivity. Those states include Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have been steadily increasing in recent months but are still considered low in about 93 percent of the country, according to the CDC.

"There are many factors that may cause increases in hospitalization. However, at this time, there is no data indicating major changes in lineages currently circulating are fueling an increase in hospitalizations," a CDC spokesperson told Newsweek on Monday.

"CDC's genomic surveillance indicates that the majority of current COVID-19 infections are caused by strains closely related to the Omicron strains that have been circulating since early 2022. Vaccination continues to be the best way to protect against severe outcomes of COVID-19."

Updated COVID-19 shots are expected to be available in mid-September, the spokesperson added.

The updated COVID shots were created to target XBB.1.5, the dominant coronavirus subvariant for most of 2023. However, fears are rising that the highly mutated BA.2.86 subvariant will drive up infections as the colder months approach.

Recent lab testing from vaccine manufacturers and other research groups suggests the updated shots will offer crossover protection. Moderna and Pfizer said last week that their updated COVID-19 vaccines generated strong responses in testing against the BA.2.86 subvariant.

CDC Chief Dr. Mandy Cohen has said the updated vaccination will help put the country in a solid position to avoid another "tripledemic" like last year when hospitals were overwhelmed with an early flu season, an onslaught of cases of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, and another winter coronavirus surge.

"There will be a lot of virus this winter," Cohen told the Associated Press. "That's why we want to get ahead of it."

Update 9/11/23, 9:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to add comment from a CDC spokesperson.