U.S. coronavirus hospitalizations hit eight-month high over 100,000

The United States reached its all-time peak for hospitalizations on Jan. 6 when there were 132,051 coronavirus-infected patients in hospital beds, according to a Reuters tally.

As the vaccination campaign rapidly expanded in early 2021, hospitalizations fell and hit a 2021 low of 13,843 on June 28.However, COVID-19 admissions rose suddenly in July as the Delta variant became the dominant strain. The U.S. South is the epicenter of the latest outbreak but hospitalizations are rising nationwide.

Florida has the highest number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients, followed by Texas and California, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More than 95% of intensive care beds are currently occupied in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.The Delta variant, which is rapidly spreading among mostly the unvaccinated U.S. population, has also sent a record number of children to hospital. There are currently over 2,000
confirmed and suspected pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations, according to HHS.

Three states – California, Florida and Texas – amount to about 32% of the total confirmed and suspected pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States.

Children currently make up about 2.3% of the nation’s COVID-19 hospitalizations. Kids under 12 are not eligible to receive the vaccine.The country is hoping for vaccine authorization for younger children by autumn with the Pfizer Inc vaccine.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease
expert, said this week that the nation could get COVID-19 under control by early next year if vaccinations ramp up.The United States has given at least one dose of vaccine to about 61% of its population, according to the CDC.