Nationally, we appear to have passed the peak of our late-summer wave, and it's not pretty.
At peak:
š¹>1.3 million daily infections
š¹2.8% (1 in 36) actively infectious
š¹Transmission higher than 90.5% of the pandemic
We are showing a peak around Aug 10, but as you look closely at the graph and in later Tweets, you'll see it was bimodal, with near-identical transmission on Aug 10 and Aug 24.
The CDC consistently corrects historical data, so in hindsight, we might expect the official peak date to flip to the 24th, or for the stats on the 10th to jump higher.
We had expected that Friday's data release might show this was the largest summer peak all-time (by the slimmest of margins), but the prior week's data were retroactively corrected downward by about 5%.
This is a common occurrence, which is why it's important to focus on the big-picture forecast (very bad transmission the remainder of 2024) as opposed to minute details.
The current year-over-year graph on Covid transmission is troubling. We just had the worst August of Covid transmission in the U.S.
We are likely to have our worst September, worst October, and potentially worst November of transmission.
We expect to bottom out around 850,000 daily infections in early November, before the winter surge picks up.
These new monthly records for Covid transmission are the consequence of #LaissezFairePublicHealth, especially the 1-day isolation policy, but more generally that public health officials are not describing transmission frankly and the need for multi-layered mitigation.
Statistics to reinforce the significance of the ongoing pandemic:
š¹1.1 million daily infections on average the next month
š¹2.2% (1 in 45) actively infectious any given day of the next month
š¹High-risk in classroom-sized settings
š¹>1.5 million resulting Long COVID cases from infections derived during the next month
This is the current heat map for Covid transmission. We released this Friday, given the ongoing debate about the CDC coloring their map in cool blue using the same data.
Here are regional estimates of transmission. Note that you can estimate the percent of your state actively infectious by looking up the CDC Level on their website and multiplying it by 0.330.
These are approximate estimates and higher quality in states with more and longer-standing wastewater sites.
Go here, select a state from the drop-down:
For example, in Louisiana the most recently-reported CDC Level is 8.31.
8.31 * 0.330 = 2.74, signifying that 2.74% of the state is estimated to be actively infectious with Covid.
Take 100 divided by that number to get the "1 in ____" statistic. For example, 100/2.74 = 36.45, signifying that 1 in 36 people in Louisiana are estimated to be actively infectious.
Watch your decimals, and remember these formulas can't just be thrown at any random wastewater tracker.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID1ā¦
š¹2.2 million weekly infections
š¹1 in 149 actively infectious
š¹>100,000 LC cases resulting from the week's infections
š¹>800 deaths resulting from the week's infections
š¹"Lull" transmission steady/slightly declining
š§µ2/5 | PMC Dashboard, Apr1il 14, 2025 (U.S.)
Year-over-year transmission (red line, lower left) is tracking the median (grey), year 4 (yellow), and year 5 (orange) closely.
If that trend continues, expect steady yet bumpy transmission the next couple months, until June/July.
š§µ3/5 | PMC Dashboard, Apr1il 14, 2025 (U.S.)
The heat map shows only 4 states in the CDC 'high' level and none in the 'very' high level.
Check local data. Those timing activities to lulls may see a clear opportunity.
The NIH Clinical Center drops universal masking after 5 months of protecting patients, family, & staff.
Wastewater-derived estimates indicate 2.79 million Americans are getting Covid per week AND top actuaries suggest an American dies of Covid every 3 minutes.
š¹1 in 120 actively infectious
š¹1 in 3 chance of exposure in a room of 50
š¹2.8 million weekly infections
š¹>140,000 resulting LC cases from the week's infections
š¹>1,000 deaths resulting from the week's infections
2) Watch this video to understand how we use excess death data from one of the world's largest reinsurers to estimate how this week's infections will result in >1,000 deaths.
š¹800-1,400 deaths expected to result from this week's infections (new stat, see video next Tweet)
š¹100,000+ Long Covid conditions to result from this week's infections
š¹1 in 142 actively infectious today
š§µ2 of 5
PMC Dashboard, March 31, 2025 (U.S.)
This video explains U.S. COVID excess death statistics, which we have incorporated into the dashboard.
š„109,000-175,000 people in the U.S. are expected to die as a result of COVID in 2025, based on estimates derived from Swiss Re
š„COVID deaths expected to be on par with lung cancer in the U.S. in 2025
š„Death data added to the dashboard
2) Full video links to learn more about COVID #ExcessDeaths in the U.S.
š¹3 million new weekly infections in a persistent "lull" of substantial transmission
š¹1 in 107 (0.9%) of the population actively infectious
š¹1 in 3 regions in high/very high transmission (16 states and DC)
PMC Dashboard, Mar 24, 2025 (U.S.)
š§µ2/5
We have had a steady state of about a half million infections the past several weeks. That's over 50 million estimated infections so far in 2025.
In a room of 40-50 people, there's a 1-in-3 chance of exposure if no testing/isolation.
PMC Dashboard, Mar 24, 2025 (U.S.)
š§µ3/5
There's a good chance of steady transmission the next month. Often, we'd head into a low lull about now. BUT there are no universal precautions, immunity is waning from the fall & winter 2023-24, & viral evolution looks less 'lucky.'