Covid hospitalizations are on the rise for the first time in months – and experts, encouraging moviegoers to ‘find a pink N-95,’ warn rates could climb further after Americans turned out in droves for Barbenheimer weekend.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Covid Data Tracker, the US saw a 10 percent increase in hospitalizations from July 8 to July 15.
In the most recent week there were 7,109 people admitted to hospitals across the country compared to 6,444 the week prior.
In New York state, 403 patients were admitted to the hospital during that time, compared to 384 during the previous week, a five percent increase.
Hospital admissions have increased nationwide by 10 percent, according to the latest data from the CDC
Admissions also increased in New York, seeing a five percent spike
There is a two-week lag in reporting hospitalizations and deaths, so it’s not yet clear if the movie releases themselves fueled an increase.
The US is also no longer tracking infection numbers because so few tests are being carried out after the pandemic was downgraded from ’emergency’ status earlier this year.
Ahead of the movies’ release, experts warned a spike may happen.
Dr Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, tweeted: ‘Not to be a Debbie Downer…but anyone worried about a post-Barbie Box Office Covid bump? Or post-Oppie?’
‘We’ll probably never know since no one seems to be keeping track of such things anymore. Keep up with your boosters and find a pink N-95 or KN-95 if you can.’
The findings come at a time when Covid has become a background issue for most Americans now that the combination of vaccines and natural immunity have significantly reduced its severity for most patients.
Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig (pictured at an Alamo Drafthouse screening of the film in New York City), is the biggest film opening of year thus far
Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy, has also drawn large crowds to movie theatres
Hospitalizations had been freefalling nationally since January. However, starting in June, these numbers saw an uptick, rising slightly or remaining steady week after week.
While there has been an increase, hospitalizations are massively lower than last year when 45,000 were admitted.
Deaths, meanwhile, saw a downward trend in recent weeks.
Nationally, deaths decreased by more than 50 percent, going from 324 to 153.
In New York, there were 12 deaths the week of July 15, compared to 31 the week of July 8, a 61 percent dip.
Though Americans have largely shunned masks and stopped social distancing, the widespread availability of vaccines and boosters have added extra layers of protection and natural immunity.
Both Barbie and Oppenheimer opened this weekend to widespread acclaim and large crowds.
Barbie was the biggest opening of the year, with $162 million at the box office, while Oppenheimer took $82 million.
The US saw a 50 percent increase in deaths from July 8 to July 15
The decrease in deaths was even more dramatic in New York, which saw a 60 percent dip
The films, which earned the combined name Barbenheimer due to coming out on the same day, have captivated audiences and social media users, despite being wildly different.
‘I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this,’ says Michael O’Leary, president of the theater association, who compared the phenomenon to a sold-out Taylor Swift concert tour.
The search term ‘Barbenheimer’ has gotten nearly 600 million views on TikTok, and the #barbenheimer has more than 52,000 posts on Instagram.
Many movie fans are even flocking to the theaters to make it a double feature.
‘I think it’s the contrast,’ said Lucy Ruiz, 17, as she and a friend made their way into the first showing of ‘Barbie’ on Thursday at the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, New York. ‘If you want to do both in the same day, it’s like two sides of the same coin.’
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