The weekly rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations was nearly three times lower at the end of December compared to the same period a year prior, CDC data shows.
The data depicts a stark difference in the state of the pandemic this winter versus the last, when omicron first emerged and spurred record high admissions.
Last winter, the weekly rate of admissions peaked at 37.3 per 100,000 in the week ending Jan. 7. This figure sat at 8.8 per 100,000 for the same period this year, though the CDC said data for this week may be incomplete due to potential reporting delays.
Below is a comparison of weekly admission rates and daily average COVID-19 hospitalizations for the past three winters. Becker's used the most recent and complete data available for both metrics from the CDC and The New York Times.
|
Winter virus season |
Weekly hospitalization rate per 100,000 (for week ending Dec. 31) |
Daily average hospitalizations (as of Jan. 23) |
|
2022-23 |
10.9 |
36,469 |
|
2021-22 |
29.5 |
157,768 |
|
2020-21 |
20.4 |
124,757 |