COVID-19 hospitalizations appear to be leveling off in the U.S. after a steady month of growth, though it's still unclear how the holiday season may affect this trend.
In the last two weeks, COVID-19 admissions have increased by just 3 percent, while cases have fallen 9 percent, according to data tracked by The New York Times.
As of Dec. 27, the nation's seven-day average of new hospital admissions was 5,510, down from 5,369 the previous week, CDC data shows.
COVID-19 hospital admissions are projected to remain stable or have an uncertain trend over the next four weeks, with 2,200 to 12,600 new daily admissions likely to be reported on Jan. 20, according to the CDC's ensemble forecast from 10 modeling groups. The CDC also predicts COVID-19 deaths will increase over the next month, with 1,600 to 5,900 new deaths likely reported in the week ending Jan. 21.
The forecasts come as the omicron subvariant XBB is fueling a major surge in China and steadily gaining prevalence in the U.S.