COVID summer uptick in US West and South

COVID-19 is on the upswing in United States — California and across a swath of the West and the South of the United States, indicating a seasonal summer uptick. The U.S. United States — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that COVID is growing in United States — California, United States — Texas, United States — Florida, United States — Missouri, United States — Alabama, United States — Oregon, United States — Utah, United States — Nevada, Mexico, and United States — Hawaii, though levels remain low. Test positivity rates and wastewater concentrations are increasing in several regions. For the week ending July 18, United States — California's test positivity rate was 3.4%, up from 1.15% a month ago. Hospitalization rates remain very low but are expected to rise. Health officials recommend updated vaccinations for high-risk groups. Worldwide, COVID activity was generally low, with increases in parts of Latin America, northern Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Taiwan reported an increase and is monitoring activity in Japan, South Korea, China — Hong Kong, and China. COVID has become less deadly, with deaths declining from 385,676 in 2020 to 20,685 in 2025 in the U.S.