The rate of new COVID-19 hospitalizations is falling in every state but Alaska and Hawaii, spurring a sigh of relief from many clinical leaders.
After an early and severe start to the respiratory virus season, many healthcare leaders voiced concern that COVID-19 admissions would also spike this winter, causing a "tripledemic" that significantly strained hospitals. However, national data suggests the U.S. will see more of a COVID-19 "bump" this winter versus a full-fledged surge, experts told The New York Times in a Jan. 17 report.
The national daily average of new admissions was 36,650 as of Jan. 23, down 23 percent in the past 14 days, according to data cited by the Times. Admissions were flat in Hawaii and up about 10 percent in Alaska.
"We are seeing the normal busy, but not the very busy that I thought we would see," Dr. Juan Salazar, physician-in-chief at Hartford-based Connecticut Children's, told The Washington Post in a Jan. 22 report. "I'm just so pleased we are now able to be back to normal staffing. Busy staffing, but not anything near to what we saw in the fall."
Boston-based Mass General Brigham is averaging about 400 COVID-19 patients per day, down significantly from an average of 2,100 patients this time last year, according to the Post. A high level of population immunity, paired with an uptick in public health precautions amid a severe respiratory virus season, may have helped the U.S. avoid a major winter surge, experts said.
"This is all good news overall," Erica Shenoy, MD, PhD, medical director for infection control at Mass General Brigham, told the Post. "One question we all have is, 'Where is this going? Will we settle into a typical respiratory season where things will settle out?'"