Areas across the U.S. are experiencing a rise in COVID-19 infections, with some hospital authorities recommending mask mandates once again.
A map using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows where the worst-affected areas in the country are, with the Midwest and Northeast showing notable case numbers.
The flu season, when respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 rise in the winter, has led to some hospitals in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington D.C. bringing in mask mandates.
The data shows that, on average, the worst-affected area is known as 'Region Seven,' consisting of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. Region Seven has seen 18.3 percent of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in the week leading up to December 23. There was a minor rise in positivity of 0.1 percent.
There is a similar picture in 'Region Five', which is made up of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, where positivity rates have gone down by 0.1 percent, but 14.8 percent of performed tests were positive.
Major Massachusetts care system Mass General Brigham said masks would be in place for all healthcare staff in direct contact with patients until the COVID-19 rate fell sufficiently.
MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington D.C. staff are required to wear masks at work, The Hill reported, along with NYC Health + Hospitals.
Newsweek has approached MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital and Mass General Brigham for comment by email.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) made an advisory statement on December 14 that healthcare facilities should "step up mitigation efforts to minimize the spread of respiratory viruses."
A recommendation in Yolo County, California, not mandatory, advised individuals to consider wearing masks "in crowded, indoor spaces."
Aimee Sisson, Yolo County public health officer, said: "Our wastewater monitoring program is currently detecting high COVID-19 and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] levels. I recommend that everybody in the community take steps to protect themselves from infection, including wearing a high-quality mask when indoors around others."
Another CDC map showing the rate of hospital admissions shows high rates in counties U.S. from Idaho to New England and as far south as Texas.
The most-recent data from the CDC indicates there is around 7.36 percent of the U.S. with high levels of hospital admissions per 100,000 people. This increased by just over 1 percent in the week to December 23.
Data for COVID-19 hospitalizations in certain counties is difficult to assess, due to low populations in some areas. In Idaho, new hospital admissions in Lemhi County were down by a third in the week to December 23, but there were just two cases per 100,000 people.
Lemhi County has an estimated population of around 8,000. On the CDC map, it is still considered to have a high rate of COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
COVID Map Shows States With Highest Cases as Hospital Mask Mandates Return - Newsweek
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