A surge in the number of COVID-19 patients in New York hospitals suggests this summer wave of infections could be more severe than last year’s as new variants spread nationwide.
Emergency department visits for COVID-19 averaged 181 per week in late June, with a total of about 750 COVID patients hospitalized, the most recent statewide data shows. By comparison, those key COVID hospitalization metrics stood at 80 visits and 410 hospitalizations at that time last summer.
Wastewater monitoring also identified high detections of COVID in parts of Monroe, Westchester and Rockland Counties, underscoring the spread of the virus in those communities. But those levels remained below the highest possible detections ‒ primarily in parts of Buffalo, New York City and Long Island.
Which COVID variants are spreading in New York?
Cases are being driven by consistent increases in a collection of subvariants known as FLiRT, named for the technical names of the mutations. FLiRT derives from the JN.1 variant, descended from omicron, which dominated cases until the spring, according to the CDC’s Nowcast loose estimates of circulating variants.
State data shows the largest subvariants spreading in New York last month were KP (40 percent) and JN.1 (22 percent). However, the fastest-growing variant nationally, LB.1, has also been detected in New York City’s wastewater, suggesting there could be more infections yet to come.
How This Summer COVID Surge Compares to Previous Waves in New York
While COVID-19 infections are now higher than they were last summer, they are still below levels seen earlier in the pandemic. State data shows the highest peak was reached in the summer of 2022, with nearly 2,800 COVID-19 patients hospitalized.
Furthermore, experts noted that the seasonal ebb and flow of COVID cases — with much higher spread during the fall and winter months — underscored the fact that the virus is here to stay as it becomes endemic, similar to the seasonal flu, which kills up to 51,000 people nationwide each year.
Will I still have to isolate due to COVID in 2024?
According to updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York residents should stay home and away from others until at least 24 hours have passed after their fever has gone away and their symptoms are generally improving.
This is different from the previous guideline, which recommended a minimum isolation period of five days for COVID-19.
USA TODAY’s Eduardo Cuevas and Emily DeLetter contributed reporting.