COVID Map Shows States With Most Positive Cases

States in the central Midwest have seen a higher prevalence of COVID-19 infections than other areas of the U.S. in the most recently recorded week, maps produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show.

Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri saw 15 percent of antigen tests taken return positive results in the week to September 23, suggesting a rise in circulation of the virus in the region. In an update on Thursday, the CDC reported that nationwide the prevalence was around 11.6 percent of tests undertaken.

The results show no substantial changes in positivity from the week prior across the U.S., suggesting the number of infections may have stabilized after a rise over the summer.

A CDC spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek that test positivity had risen by less than a percentage point, from 12.6 to 12.8 percent, but was around 1.2 percent higher than the national average.

"Other data sources, such as the National Syndromic Surveillance Program, indicate that laboratory test positivity and emergency department visits for COVID-19 in the Midwest region appear to be plateauing," they added.

The results come as some private institutions, hospital operators and colleges in the U.S. have reintroduced the requirements for staff or visitors to wear masks while at their sites to limit the spread of the new variants—EG.5 and BA.2.86.

As of September 15, the CDC said that the latter variant "does not appear to be rapidly increasing or driving increases in infections or hospitalizations," in the U.S., and that existing antibodies were giving individuals immunity against the new strain.

A spokesperson for the agency told Newsweek on Wednesday that its genomic surveillance indicated that the majority of infections were being caused "by strains closely related to the Omicron strains" circulating since early 2022.

The rest of the Midwest, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, New York and New Jersey all had a more moderate positivity rate, ranging between 10.4 percent in states such as Texas and New Mexico, to 13.2 percent in the Mid-Atlantic states.

Pennsylvania, the south, New England and the District of Columbia were all among the areas with the lowest positivity percentages, from 7.6 percent in Delaware and Maryland to 9.7 percent in New England.

The CDC cautioned that the data didn't include tests taken at home, and said the results may be subject to change due to delays in testing centers reporting back.

It also noted that "the data represent laboratory tests performed, not individual people," as one person may be administered multiple tests in a week, but said that the percentage of positive tests "is one of the metrics used to monitor COVID-19 transmission over time and by area."

There was more of a patchwork when it came to hospitalizations with the virus in the week to September 16, with no clear geographic pattern of admissions. But in the latest update, hospital admissions were in decline or subject to small rises in many states.

Nationally, in the week to September 23, there were 19,079 total hospitalizations with COVID, a small decline on the week prior, continuing a three-week consecutive downward trend from a peak earlier in the month.

"While rates now seem to be plateauing, we are entering October, which is the typical start of the respiratory virus season," a CDC spokesperson said. "Even if hospitalization rates level off for a few weeks, they could increase in the coming weeks, and prevention is the best approach."

Update 10/03/23, 3:00 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from a CDC spokesperson.