COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are nearing a new low after various variants caused spikes and dips, data shows, and some hospitals say they have zero cases.
Tufts Medical Center said it did not have any COVID-19 patients in early May, marking a first in three years for the Boston-based hospital. At Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, this is the first week there are no COVID-19-positive patients in the intensive care unit, according to The Wall Street Journal.
As the CDC issues fewer requirements for national reporting and states scale back sharing their data, the nation is noting a monthslong decline in cases and deaths. The tallest mountains on the yearslong chart show weekly deaths in the 20,000s in January 2021, 17,000s in February 2022, 15,000s in April 2020 and 14,000s in September 2021.
For the lowest drops, weekly deaths averages were about 2,000 in July 2021, June 2022 and November 2022. The latest weekly death average, from April 19 to April 26, is 1,052.
The U.S. saw its most cases by week in early 2022, with between 4 million and 5 million reported infections each week in January. The latest weekly average is 88,330.