根据疾病控制和预防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)使用的最新预测模型，自5月以来，美国与新冠肺炎相关的住院人数预计将首次再次增加，因为高传染性的奥米克龙亚变异体继续传播。

模型显示，近40个州和地区目前预计在未来两周内新住院人数将增加。南部各州，包括阿肯色州、路易斯安那州、密西西比州和得克萨斯州，预计住院人数将出现最大幅度的增长。

在全国范围内，预计8月5日将报告每天3200至13800例新冠肺炎确诊住院病例。根据CDC的数据，截至周三，美国每天报告有近5，800例与病毒相关的住院病例。

根据联邦数据，住院水平已经在增加，目前有近4万名病毒阳性的美国人住院。数据显示，总数是去年夏天这个时候的两倍多，当时三角洲激增开始出现，越来越多的新冠肺炎阳性者也出现在急诊室。

在南方，许多州预计会出现明显的增长，上周住院人数增加了20%以上。

尽管总体总数仍明显低于全国高峰时期的水平，当时有超过16万名患者因该病毒住院，但住院人数仍处于3月初以来的最高点。

该预测还预测，在未来四周内，与病毒相关的死亡将有一个稳定或不确定的趋势。

即便如此，在接下来的两周内，预计全国仍将有超过5700人死亡。德克萨斯州，俄克拉荷马州和加利福尼亚州预计将在未来几周内看到最大的死亡人数。

“死亡人数仍在300人左右，但住院人数正在上升。这是你不想恐慌的事情，但我们真的需要注意它，因为我们可以做一些事情来减弱它，”疫情总统高级顾问安东尼·福奇博士周三告诉CNN。

福奇和其他联邦卫生官员一直在提高对奥米克隆亚变异BA.5的警惕，他们说这种变异导致了感染的死灰复燃。

美国目前每天报告超过118，000例新病例，这是该国自2月中旬以来最高的日均感染人数。

福奇说，目前报告的病例总数可能是“严重低估”，因为大多数美国人正在用家用试剂盒进行检测，并且没有向当地司法机构报告结果。

BA.5现在是美国的主要变种，估计占该国新病例的65%。科学家们表示，它似乎确实比最初的omicron菌株具有传播优势，尽管他们不认为它比以前的菌株更严重。

“[BA.5]当然是最免疫规避的。我们看到的是，以前被感染的人再次感染的比率很高，去年接种疫苗的人出现了大量突破性感染。这是我们非常关注的事情，”白宫新冠肺炎反应协调员Ashish Jha博士周三在“早安美国”节目中告诉ABC新闻的George Stephanopoulos。

然而，Jha说，疫苗和加强剂仍然有助于减轻严重疾病的影响。

COVID hospitalizations forecast to increase amid concerns over new omicron subvariants

For the first time since May, COVID-19-related hospital admissions are forecasted to increase again in the U.S., as highly infectious omicron subvariants continue to spread, according to updated forecasting models used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The models show that nearly 40 states and territories are currently projected to see increases in new hospitalizations over the next two weeks. States in the South, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, are expected to see the greatest increases in hospitalizations.

Nationally, between 3,200 to 13,800 daily confirmed COVID-19 hospital admissions are expected to be reported on Aug. 5. As of Wednesday, the U.S. is reporting nearly 5,800 virus-related hospital admissions each day, according to the CDC.

Hospitalization levels have already been increasing, with nearly 40,000 virus-positive Americans currently hospitalized, according to federal data. Totals are more than double the level they were at this time last summer, when the delta surge was beginning to emerge, and a growing number of COVID-19 positive people are also showing up to emergency departments, data shows.

In the South, where many states are forecasted to see notable increases, hospital admissions have risen by more than 20% in the last week.

Although the overall total remains significantly lower than at the nation's peak, when more than 160,000 patients were hospitalized with the virus, hospitalizations are still at their highest point since early March.

The forecast also predicts that virus-related deaths will have either a stable or an uncertain trend in the next four weeks.

Even so, more than 5,700 deaths are still expected to occur nationally over the next two weeks. Texas, Oklahoma and California are projected to see the largest death tolls in the weeks to come.

"Deaths are still around 300, but hospitalizations are ticking up. This is something you don't want to panic about, but we really need to pay attention to it because there are things that we can do to blunt that," Dr. Anthony Fauci, a senior adviser to the president on the pandemic, told CNN on Wednesday.

Fauci and other federal health officials have been raising the alarm about omicron subvariant BA.5, which they say has been causing a resurgence of infections.

The U.S. is currently reporting more than 118,000 new cases a day, marking the country's highest daily infection average since mid-February.

Fauci said the current reported case total is likely a "gross underestimate" as the majority of Americans are testing with home kits and not reporting their results to their local jurisdictions.

BA.5 is now the dominant variant in the U.S, accounting for an estimated 65% of new cases in the country. Scientists say it does appear to have a transmission advantage over the original omicron strain, although they do not believe it is more severe than prior strains.

"[BA.5] is certainly the most immune evasive. What we're seeing is people who were previously infected getting reinfected at high rates, people who were vaccinated last year having a ton of breakthrough infections. It's something we're paying a lot of attention to," White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America" Wednesday.

However, Jha said the vaccines and boosters are still helping blunt the impact of severe disease.