CDC says COVID is at 'very high' activity levels in some US states: See latest data

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that over half of the United States have reported "very high" levels of COVID-19 activity.

Using wastewater or sewage, the CDC tests the water to see if there are any traces of an infectious disease within a community, the government agency says.

Data collected on Aug. 9 by the CDC showed that 27 states have reported "very high" levels of wastewater viral activity nationwide.

Here are the overall numbers of the states and territories that have reported wastewater viral activity levels as of Aug. 9.

Can't see the table? Click here to view it.

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COVID-19 Current Wastewater Viral Activity Levels Map

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COVID is now endemic: Reports

In addition during an interview on NPR , health officials from the CDC are now classifying COVID-19 as "endemic."

"At this point, COVID-19 can be described as endemic throughout the world," Aron Hall, the deputy director for science at the CDC's coronavirus and other respiratory viruses division, told the radio network.

An endemic can be defined as a disease that regularly circulates within a community at an expected or normal level despite an occasional outbreak, according to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control .

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What is the current variant that has the highest amount of COVID-19 cases?

Th e CDC's Nowcast data tracker , which displays COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods, projects the KP.3.1.1 variant accounting for 27.8% of positive infections, followed by KP.3 at 20.1% in the two-week stretch starting July 21 and ending Aug. 3.

"The KP.3.1.1 variant is very similar to other circulating variants in the United States. All current lineages are descendants of JN.1, which emerged in late 2023," Rosa Norman, a spokesperson at the CDC, previously told USA TODAY.

Changes in COVID-19 test positivity within a week

Data collected by the CDC shows that six Midwestern states making up Region 5 had the biggest increase (2.1%) in positive COVID-19 cases from July 28 to Aug. 3, 2024. The data was posted on Aug. 12, 2024.

Note : The CDC organizes positivity rate based on regions , as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services .

Here's the list of states and their regions' changes in COVID-19 positivity for the past week:

• Region 1 (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont): +1.4%
• Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands): -1.3%
• Region 3 (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia): +1.3%
• Region 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee): +1.4%
• Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin): +2.1%
• Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas): +1.5%
• Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska): +0.9%
• Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming): -1.2%
• Region 9 ( Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau): -3.1%
• Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington): +1.2%

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COVID-19 symptoms

The CDC has not said if KP.3 or KP.3.1.1 have their own specific symptoms. However, Norman previously explained that the symptoms associated with KP.3 are similar to those from JN.1. The government agency outlines the basic symptoms of COVID-19 on its website. These symptoms can appear between two and 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

• Trouble breathing
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• New confusion
• Inability to wake or stay awake
• Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com . Follow her on Instagram , Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC says COVID is at 'very high' activity levels in some US states: See latest data