Less Lethal U.S. COVID Cases Decline Slightly

The number of COVID-19 cases reported in the United States over the last week declined for the first time in over a month of record-breaking totals, indicating the possibility that the Omicron-driven surge may be peaking, according to an analysis of data from the Coronavirus Resource Center (CRC).

Hospitalizations and deaths from last Friday through Thursday, Jan. 21, increased over the previous period, but the growth rate for each appears to be slowing down, according to the analysis by Emily Pond, a research data analyst for the CRC and the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Health Security. The nearly 161,000 patients admitted to hospitals hit another record high, but the 9% increase in deaths to 13,000 was far below the 22,000 fatalities during the same period last year.

“There may be reason for cautious optimism,” Pond said. “The most recent case surge appears to have peaked, with nationwide case totals declining for the first time in over a month.”

Cases

States reported 5.15 million cases over the past week, down nearly 8% from last week but still nearly four times higher than the 1.32 million reported over the same period last year.

The Omicron variant has led to record high cases across the United States. The five states with the highest per-capita increases were Wisconsin (2,805 cases per 100,000 residents), Kansas (2,708), Rhode Island (2,636), Hawaii (2,383) and Utah (2,345).

“Cases are declining rapidly in the Northeast while other regions are reporting a deceleration in growth,” Pond said.

While cases increased in the U.S. South and West, the rate of growth appears to be slowing based on data reported by the states, Pond’s analysis indicates.

Deaths

The number of people in the United States who have died of COVID during the pandemic now stands at more than 860,000.

Despite the recent surge in cases, deaths in 2022 trail the number of fatalities last year reported amid a smaller increase in cases.

Hospitalizations

The estimated number of patients admitted to U.S. hospitals was reported as 160,714, less than 1% increase. Out of the total, 26,470 patients entered intensive care units, a 2.3% jump over the previous week.

“The rate of increase for each of these metrics appears to be falling,” Pond said. “Last Friday’s totals were up 17.8% and 15.7%, respectively, from the prior week. Even so, this week represents a record high inpatient total for the U.S.”

Approximately 123,000 patients were hospitalized during the same period in 2021, with 27,000 admitted to ICUs.

The five jurisdictions with the highest per-capita increases in hospitalizations were: Washington, D.C. (112 inpatients per 100,000 residents), Delaware (73), New York (65), Missouri (64), and Nevada (62). In addition, 17 states have experienced their highest levels of inpatient hospitalizations of the pandemic.

International

The highest per-capita increases in cases around the world occurred in Israel (4,719 cases per 100,000 citizens), Denmark (3,826), France (3,622), Portugal (2,796, and Slovenia (2,733).