CDC no longer requiring hospitals to report COVID-19 data; voluntary reporting encouraged

Hospitals no longer required to report COVID-19 data to HHS, CDC says

As of Wednesday, hospitals across the country are no longer mandated to report COVID-19 hospital admissions, capacity, or occupancy data to the Department of Health and Human Services, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Previously, hospitals had been submitting this data to HHS through the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network. While reporting is no longer required, the CDC is still encouraging hospitals to voluntarily provide this information. Data voluntarily reported to NHSN after May 1 will be accessible starting May 10 at COVID Data Tracker Hospitalizations.

The COVID Data Tracker home page will now source hospital information from COVID-NET, displaying COVID-19 hospitalization rates per 100,000 people instead of national counts of new hospital admissions.

According to CDC data, COVID-19-related hospitalizations hit a record low of 5,615 for the week ending April 20th. The CDC has been monitoring a new COVID-19 strain, BA.2.87.1, which has multiple changes in the coronavirus spike protein. Despite these variations, existing immunity from vaccines and previous infections still offer good protection.

The fastest-spreading COVID-19 variant in the U.S. currently is JN.1, representing about 21% of new cases as of December. While this variant may be more transmissible, the CDC has not found evidence that it poses an increased risk to public health compared to other variants.

This news comes as a relief to hospitals that have been under immense strain during the pandemic, as they no longer have the burden of mandatory reporting requirements.