5 Worst States for Working-Age COVID-19 Hospitalization Increases

U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations for people ages 20 through 59 might be starting to head back up the hill. A modest surge caused the number of deaths of people ages 25 through 64 to increase about 11% over pre-pandemic levels during the third quarter of this year, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention excess death data. A separate, related set of CDC COVID-19 hospitalization data shows that hospitalizations of people in the 20 to 59 age group peaked in mid-January, began to fall until the week ending Oct. 21, and have increased steadily over the past five weeks. The increases are considerably sharper in some states than in others.

What It Means

Clients might be bored with COVID-19, but it — and other potentially serious infectious diseases, such as the flu — may still be active enough to lead to unexpected medical bills, unwanted time off work and problems with mortality forecasting.

The Details

Between the week ending Nov. 21 and the week ending Nov. 28, the number of hospitalizations of people in the 20 to 59 increased by 11%, to 6,732. The median state-level increase was 12.6%, and 12 states recorded week-over-week increases of more than 30%. For a look at the five states with the worst week-over-week increases, see the gallery above. For data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, see the chart below.

Hospitalizations of People Ages 20-59 With Confirmed Cases of COVID-19