Important update: Healthcare facilities
CDC has updated select ways to operate healthcare systems effectively in response to COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more
UPDATE
Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, CDC has updated the guidance for fully vaccinated people. CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.
UPDATE
The White House announced that vaccines will be required for international travelers coming into the United States, with an effective date of November 8, 2021. For purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines. More information is available here.
UPDATE
Travel requirements to enter the United States are changing, starting November 8, 2021. More information is available here.

New Year, Same Variant

New Year, Same Variant
Updated Jan. 6, 2023
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Interpretive Summary for January 6, 2023

New Year, Same Variant

Nowcast estimated variant proportions, United States: 10/8/22―1/7/23

Nowcast estimated variant proportions,
United States: 10/8/22―1/7/23

CDC’s goal is to provide actionable information to public health professionals and the American public. Because Omicron sublineage XBB.1.5 data were displayed separately from XBB data on COVID Data Tracker’s Nowcast projections for the first time last week, we thought it would be helpful to explain the different variant proportion information CDC provides. This includes how the Nowcast forecasting tool works—what it is (a projection based on a model that has been accurate over time) versus what it isn’t (a literal, real-time count of variants based on sequenced viruses from people with COVID-19).

CDC uses two methods to display variant proportions: weighted estimates and Nowcast estimates. Weighted estimates for each circulating lineage are very precise, but it takes two to three weeks for sample collection, specimen treatment, shipping, and analysis to occur. CDC uses Nowcast to forecast variant proportions before the weighted estimates are available.

Sublineages with weighted estimates less than 1% of all circulating variants are combined with their parent lineage for reporting of both weighted and Nowcast estimates. Variant proportion estimates for XBB.1.5 were first separated from its parent (XBB) the week of December 31, when its most recent weighted estimate (based on information from the week of December 10) rose to about 4%. Because of its fast growth rate, its Nowcast estimate was projected to be around 41% by the end of December.

But projections can be uncertain when a variant is just beginning to spread. When Nowcast predicted XBB.1.5 at 41%, there was a wide prediction range of about 23% to 61%. Since then, more data have come in from mid-December, as well as additional data delayed by the holidays. As a result, the projection for the week ending December 31 was revised to 18%, but with a higher degree of certainty (prediction range of 9% to 33%), followed by an increase to 28% for the most recent week of January 6 (prediction range of 14% to 47%).

These findings demonstrate that XBB.1.5 is spreading quickly. At this time, CDC’s COVID-19 guidance remains the same about how people can best protect themselves from serious illness. CDC will continue to investigate the ways in which XBB.1.5 may be different from other Omicron lineages and will continue to update COVID Data Tracker’s Variant Proportions page on a weekly basis.

What's New

COVID-19 Community Levels*

As of January 5, 2023, there are 628 (19.5%) counties, districts, or territories with a high COVID-19 Community Level, 1,351 (41.9%) with a medium Community Level, and 1,241 (38.5%) with a low Community Level. Compared with last week, the number of counties, districts, or territories in the high level increased by 10.6%, in the medium level increased by 1.8%, and in the low level decreased by 12.4%. Overall, 49 out of 52 jurisdictions had high- or medium-level counties this week. Hawaii, Maine, and Wyoming are the only jurisdictions to have all counties at low Community Levels.

To check your COVID-19 Community Level, visit COVID Data Tracker. To learn which prevention measures are recommended based on your COVID-19 Community Level, visit COVID-19 Community Level and COVID-19 Prevention.

*CDC recommends use of COVID-19 Community Levels to determine the impact of COVID-19 on communities and to take action. CDC also provides Community Transmission Levels to describe the amount of COVID-19 spread within each county. Healthcare facilities use Community Transmission Levels to determine infection control interventions.

**Includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

U.S. COVID-19 Community Levels by County

A map of the United States showing COVID-19 Community Levels green is low, yellow is medium, orange is high, grey is no data

Reported Cases

As of January 4, 2023, the current 7-day average of weekly new cases (67,243) increased 16.2% compared with the previous 7-day average (57,847). A total of 101,094,670 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States as of January 4, 2023.

Weekly Trends in COVID-19 Cases in the United States Reported to CDC

Weekly trends in COVID-19 cases in the United States reported to CDC

Variant Proportions

CDC Nowcast projections* for the week ending January 7, 2023, estimate the proportion of lineages designated as Omicron with estimates above 1%: BA.5—and three of its sublineages (BQ.1, BQ.1.1, and BF.7) and BA.2 sublineages BA.2.75, BN.1, XBB, a recombinant of two BA.2 sublineages, and a newly broken out XBB sublineage, XBB.1.5.

The most prevalent Omicron lineages this week are BQ.1.1, projected to be 34.4% (95% PI 26.7-43%); XBB.1.5, projected to be 27.6% (95% PI 14.0-46.5); and BQ.1, projected to be 21.4% (95% PI 16.1-27.7%). XBB, BA.5, BN.1, BF.7, and BA.2.75 are all projected to be between 1% and 5% of circulating viruses.

There are currently major regional differences in the proportions of circulating lineages. XBB.1.5 is projected to comprise >70% of viruses in regions 1 and 2, but <5% of circulating viruses in regions 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10. XBB.1.5 is growing in proportion. All other virus lineages are predicted to have very slow or no growth in proportion.

See COVID Data Tracker  for the proportions of all relevant lineages currently circulating.

101,094,670
Total Cases Reported

67,243
Current 7-Day Average**

57,847
Previous 7-Day Average

+16.2%
Change in 7-Day Average since Previous Period

*CDC uses Nowcast projections to predict current variant proportions circulating in the United States. The median time from specimen collection to sequence data reporting is about 3 weeks. As a result, weighted estimates for the most recent few weeks may be unstable or unavailable. View Nowcast estimates on CDC’s COVID Data Tracker website on the Variant Proportions page.

**Historical cases are excluded from weekly new cases and 7-day average calculations until they are incorporated into the dataset for the applicable date. Of 21,397 historical cases reported retroactively, none were reported in the current week and none in the prior week.  

Regional proportions from specimens collected the week ending 1/7/23

Vaccinations

As of January 4, 2023, 665.1 million vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. Overall, about 229.3 million people, or 69.1% of the total U.S. population, have completed a primary series.* More than 48.2 million people, or 15.4% of the U.S. population ages 5 years and older, have received an updated (bivalent) booster dose.

665,076,272
Vaccine Doses Administered

48,469,426
Updated (Bivalent) Booster Doses Administered

229,254,623
People who have completed a primary series* (69.1% of the U.S. population)

48,229,842
People who have received an updated (bivalent) booster (15.4% of the U.S. population)

+0.2
Percentage point change from last week

+1.3%
Percentage point change from last week

*Represents the number of people who have received the second dose in a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series (such as the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax vaccines) or one dose of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.  

Daily Change in the Total Number of Administered COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Reported to CDC by the Date of Administration, United States

red line

7-Day moving average

Daily Change in the Total Number of Administered COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Reported to CDC by the Date of Administration, United States

COVID-19 Updated (Bivalent) Booster Dose Administration, United States

COVID-19 updated (bivalent) booster dose administration in the United States booster legend

Hospitalizations

New Hospital Admissions

The current 7-day daily average for December 28, 2022–January 3, 2023, was 6,519. This is a 16.1% increase from the prior 7-day average (5,613) from December 21–27, 2022.

5,764,657
Total New Admissions

6,519
Current 7-Day Average

5,613
Prior 7-Day Average

+16.1%
Change in 7-Day Average

The start of consistent reporting of hospital admissions data was August 1, 2020.

Daily Trends in Number of New COVID-19 Hospital Admissions in the United States

Daily trends in number of new COVID-19 hospital admissions in the United States

New admissions are pulled from a 10 am EDT snapshot of the HHS Unified Hospital Data – Analytic Dataset. Due to potential reporting delays, data from the most recent 7 days, as noted in the figure above with the grey bar, should be interpreted with caution. Small shifts in historic data may also occur due to changes in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Provider of Services file, which is used to identify the cohort of included hospitals.

Hospitalization Rates by Vaccination Status among Adults Ages 65 Years and Older

CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) shows that in November 2022, the rate of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations for unvaccinated adults ages 65 years and older was 13.5 times higher than for those who had received an updated (bivalent) booster dose. The rate for those who had been vaccinated but had not received an updated (bivalent) booster was 2.5 times higher than for those who had received an updated (bivalent) booster dose.

Monthly Rates of COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations among Adults Ages 65 Years and Older

Monthly Rates of COVID-19-Associated Hospitalizations among Adults Ages 65 Years and Older

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) is an additional source for hospitalization data collected through a network of more than 250 acute-care hospitals in 14 states (representing ~10% of the U.S. population). Detailed data on patient demographics, including race/ethnicity, underlying medical conditions, medical interventions, and clinical outcomes, are collected using a standardized case reporting form.

More COVID-NET Data

Deaths

The current 7-day average of new deaths (390) increased 8.3% compared with the previous 7-day average (360). As of January 4, 2023, a total of 1,091,184 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the United States.

1,091,184
Total Deaths Reported

390
Current 7-Day Average*

360
Prior 7-Day Average

+8.3%
Change in 7-Day Average Since Prior Period

*Historical deaths are excluded from the weekly new deaths and 7-day average calculations until they are incorporated into the dataset by their applicable date. Of 3,752 historical deaths reported retroactively, none were reported in the current week and none were reported in the prior week.

Weekly Trends in Number of COVID-19 Deaths in the United States Reported to CDC

Weekly trends in number of COVID-19-associated deaths in the United States reported to CDC More Death Data

Testing

The percentage of COVID-19 NAATs (nucleic acid amplification tests)* that are positive is increasing in comparison to the previous week. The 7-day average of percent positivity from NAATs is now 16.0%. The 7-day average number of tests reported for December 23-29, 2022, was 271,509, down 31.4% from 395,910 for the prior 7 days.

1,002,298,528
Total Tests Reported

271,509
7-Day Average Tests Reported

16.0%
7-Day Average % Positivity

14.2%
Previous 7-Day Average % Positivity

+1.85
Percentage point change in 7-Day Average % Positivity since Prior Week

*Test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19

COVID-19 NAAT Laboratory Test 7-day Percent Positivity by State/Territory

US map showing COVID-19 NAAT Laboratory Test 7-day Percent Positivity.

Wastewater Surveillance

COVID Data Tracker’s Wastewater Surveillance tab tracks levels, changes, and detections of SARS-CoV-2* viral RNA in wastewater at over 1,300 testing sites across the country.

Currently, about 80% of sites across the country are reporting moderate to high SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater. About 58% of sites reporting wastewater data are currently seeing some of the highest levels for those sites since December 1, 2021. About 33% of sites are experiencing a decrease in SARS-CoV-2 levels, and about 56% are reporting an increase.

For more information on how to use wastewater data, visit CDC’s wastewater surveillance website.

*The virus that causes COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 Levels in Wastewater by Site

SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater by site white dot new site, blue dot 0% to 19%, light blue dot 20% to 39%, lightest blue dot 40% to 59%, orange dot 60% to 79%, red dot 80% to 100%

0% denotes that levels are the lowest they have been at the site; 100% denotes that levels are the highest they have been at the site.

More Wastewater Data