US Covid figures fall nationwide, CDC reports
The national trend is favourable, although virus levels are rising in some regions.
The US health agency CDC reports that coronavirus circulation is declining nationwide and that hospital admissions remain low. The figures are not favourable everywhere: some states are seeing higher virus levels in wastewater and more respiratory symptoms.
In its weekly update of 2 October, the CDC describes the overall amount of acute respiratory illness leading to contact with healthcare services as very low. The agency also reports that COVID-19 is declining nationally, while activity remains elevated in some regions.
COVID-19 hospital admissions also remain low, according to the CDC. The highest admission figures are seen among people aged 65 and over. National wastewater measurements are very low, but some states report moderate to very high levels.
The regional differences are clearly visible on the west coast. Axios reported that Washington and Oregon were already showing signs of a new respiratory season in early October, with rising emergency-department visits and higher coronavirus levels in wastewater.
The CDC expects roughly as many peak admissions due to COVID-19, flu and RSV in the 2026–2027 respiratory season as in the previous season. The current decline therefore does not mean that the virus has disappeared or that the entire autumn will remain quiet.
The positive news is limited but real: nationally, illness activity and hospital admissions are low, and COVID-19 is declining. At the same time, regional exceptions show why national averages are not a prediction for every state or population group.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The CDC confirms the nationwide decline and low hospital admissions. Axios simultaneously confirms that regional exceptions exist, meaning the text does not present the national trend as a universal development.
- confirmed COVID-19 activity is declining nationally in the United States. — Reported in the CDC update of 2 October 2026. source
- confirmed COVID-19 hospital admissions remain low. — Mentioned by the CDC in the same weekly summary. source
- confirmed Washington and Oregon are showing regional signs of rising respiratory illness. — Axios describes rising emergency-department visits and wastewater levels in Washington; the regional comparison is presented cautiously. source
Editor's note
This additional good-news report concerns declining nationwide illness activity in the United States. Regional increases and the seasonal forecast have been explicitly added as qualifications.Sources
- Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Washington’s sick season is getting an early start — Axios
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „covid-19 gezondheid”
- de Volkskrant — „covid-19 gezondheid”
- RTL Nieuws — „covid-19 gezondheid”