CDC to Switch From Daily to Weekly COVID Data Updates

Oct. 8, 2022 — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it would begin updating COVID-19 case and loss of life counts on a weekly as an alternative of a every day foundation beginning Oct. 20.
“To allow for additional reporting flexibility, reduce the reporting burden on states and jurisdictions, and maximize surveillance resources, CDC is moving to a weekly reporting cadence for line level and aggregate case and death data,” the CDC stated Thursday.
The CDC continues to be offering every day information on COVID hospitalizations, utilizing data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It’s unknown if that may change when the National Healthcare Safety Network takes accountability for the gathering of COVID hospital information mid-December, the CDC stated.
The CDC has been publishing every day COVID information for greater than two years. The CDC’s COVID group degree rankings are already up to date as soon as per week, on Thursdays. State and native governments use group degree rankings in deciding when and the place residents ought to be suggested to put on masks.
The change is one other signal of a de-escalation in COVID response as the main pandemic statistics drop. The New York Times reported that on Oct. 7 the United States was averaging 40,186 new COVID circumstances a day (a 26% drop over two weeks), 26,994 COVID-related hospitalizations (an 11% drop), and 380 COVID-related deaths (an 11% drop). Health specialists say the case counts are literally increased as a result of many house testing outcomes should not reported to well being companies.
Earlier this week, the CDC introduced it will not keep an inventory of journey advisories for international international locations as a result of “fewer international locations are testing or reporting COVID-19 circumstances,” The New York Times reported. Instead, the CDC will publish well being notices when just for “a concerning Covid-19 variant” in a selected nation.
Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical advisor, stated Tuesday that COVID circumstances could rise this winter, particularly if a brand new COVID variant emerges.
“Although we can feel good that we’re going in the right direction, we can’t let our guard down,” Fauci stated in a dialogue hosted by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism. “We are entering into the winter months, where no matter what the respiratory disease is, there’s always a risk of an uptick.”