New data released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that the highest rates of infection are found in six Northeastern states. For the week ending August 31, the CDC reported that 16.3 percent of all COVID-19 tests performed in the U.S.—excluding at-home test results—were coming back positive. For much of the summer, region six—which incorporates Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas—showed the highest rates of COVID-19 infection, with as many as 1 in 4 tests coming out as positive in early August. Move than 40 percent of all U.S. COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks have been attributed to the now-dominant subvariant, KP.3.1.1, which belongs to the FLiRT group of viruses that emerged earlier this year.