Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
COVID-19 Homepage
Signals in Sewage
Interpretive Summary for March 25, 2022
Signals in Sewage
In February, CDC’s COVID Data Tracker released a Wastewater Surveillance tab, which tracks changes and detections of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA levels at more than 600 testing sites across the country. Because many people with COVID-19 shed the virus in their feces, wastewater testing can help us monitor COVID-19 in communities. Virus levels in wastewater usually increase four to six days before clinical cases increase, so surveillance results can help communities act quickly to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Currently, virus levels in wastewater are relatively low across the country. More than half of all sites reporting wastewater data are experiencing a decrease in SARS-CoV-2 levels, but some have reported a modest uptick. These upticks may reflect minor increases from very low levels to levels that are still low. It’s important to note that even a small increase when levels are very low can appear like a dramatic increase in the percent change. However, there is a possibility that some communities might start to see an increase in COVID-19 cases. This could happen for a variety of reasons, like waning immunity, new circulating strains, and eased prevention strategies.
Right now, it’s too early to know if we’ll see a corresponding increase in reported cases across the country. Wastewater data are meant to be used with other COVID-19 surveillance data. CDC encourages local public health officials to watch for sustained increasing levels of the virus in wastewater, and to use wastewater surveillance data with other kinds of data to inform their decisions. CDC continues to encourage people to use COVID-19 Community Levels to find out what actions they should take to protect themselves and others. The whole community can be safe only when we all take steps to protect each other.
- COVID-19 Community Levels were added to the County View page of COVID Data Tracker.
- COVID Data Tracker’s Landing Page Daily Update section was updated to display 7-day daily averages for new cases and new deaths.
- COVID Data Tracker’s Vaccination Equity tab was updated to include the fully vaccinated population ages 5–17 years, and the up-to-date populations 12+ years, 18+ years, and 65+ years on the Social Vulnerability Index and Metro/Non-Metro bivariate maps.
- COVID Data Tracker’s Hospitalization by Vaccination Status – COVID-NET tab was updated to display February 2022 rates of COVID-19-associated hospitalization comparing unvaccinated people, fully vaccinated people, and people with an additional or booster dose.
- Use of At-Home COVID-19 Tests — United States, August 23, 2021–March 12, 2022
Reported Cases
As of March 23, 2022, the current 7-day moving average of daily new cases (27,134) decreased 5.4% compared with the previous 7-day moving average (28,695). A total of 79,696,994 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States as of March 23, 2022.
CDC Nowcast projections* for the week ending March 19, 2022, estimate the combined national proportion of lineages designated as Omicron to be 100%. There are five lineages designated as Omicron: B.1.1.529, BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, and BA.3. COVID Data Tracker shows the proportions of the B.1.1.529 lineage (includes BA.1 and BA.3), the BA.1.1** lineage, and the BA.2 lineage. The predominant Omicron lineage in the United States is BA.1.1. The national proportion of BA.1.1 is projected to be 57.3% (95% PI 51.8-62.6%). B.1.1.529 (BA.1 and BA.3) is projected to be 7.9% (95% PI 6.6-9.3%) and BA.2 is projected to be 34.9% (95% PI 29.6-40.4). Omicron is predicted to be 100% in all HHS regions.
79,696,994
Total Cases Reported
79,696,994
Total Cases Reported
27,134
Current 7-Day Average**
27,134
Current 7-Day Average**
28,695
Prior 7-Day Average
28,695
Prior 7-Day Average
-5.4%
Change in 7-Day Average since Prior Week
-5.4%
Change in 7-Day Average since Prior Week
*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. CDC’s Nowcast is a data projection tool that helps fill this gap by generating timely estimates of variant proportions for variants that are circulating in the United States. View Nowcast estimates on CDC’s COVID Data Tracker website on the Variant Proportions page.
**For national data, the proportion of BA.1.1 is shown separately. For regional data, the proportion of BA.1.1 is also aggregated with B.1.1.529.
***Historical cases are excluded from daily new cases and 7-day average calculations until they are incorporated into the dataset for the applicable date. Of 486,183 historical cases reported retroactively, 10,468 were reported in the current week and 22,904 were reported in the prior week.
Daily Trends in COVID-19 Cases in the United States Reported to CDC
7-Day moving average
Vaccinations
The U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Program began December 14, 2020. As of March 23, 2022, 558.9 million vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. Overall, about 255.0 million people, or 76.8% of the total U.S. population, have received at least one dose of vaccine. About 217.2 million people, or 65.4% of the total U.S. population, have been fully vaccinated.* About 96.9 million additional or booster doses have been reported in people who have been fully vaccinated; however, 49.8% of the total booster-eligible population has not yet received a booster dose. As of March 23, 2022, the 7-day average number of administered vaccine doses reported (by date of CDC report) to CDC per day was 181,945, a 27.1% decrease from the previous week.
CDC’s COVID Data Tracker displays vaccination trends by age group, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural status. To see trends by age group and race/ethnicity, visit the Vaccination Demographic Trends tab. To see trends by urban/rural status, visit the COVID-19 Vaccination Equity tab.
558,918,245
Vaccine Doses Administered
558,918,245
Vaccine Doses Administered
255,001,325
People who received at least one dose
255,001,325
People who received at least one dose
217,184,868
People who are fully vaccinated*
217,184,868
People who are fully vaccinated*
76.8%
Percentage of the U.S. population that has received at least one dose
76.8%
Percentage of the U.S. population that has received at least one dose
65.4%
Percentage of the U.S. population that has been fully vaccinated*
65.4%
Percentage of the U.S. population that has been fully vaccinated*
+0.1
Percentage point increase from last week
+0.1
Percentage point increase from last week
+0.1
Percentage point increase from last week
+0.1
Percentage point increase 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 or Moderna 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 CDC Report, United States
7-Day moving average
Hospitalizations
New Hospital Admissions
The current 7-day daily average for March 16–21, 2022, was 1,827. This is a 21.0% decrease from the prior 7-day average (2,313) from March 9–15, 2022.
4,580,996
Total New Admissions
4,580,996
Total New Admissions
1,827
Current 7-Day Average
1,827
Current 7-Day Average
2,313
Prior 7-Day Average
2,313
Prior 7-Day Average
-21.0%
Change in 7-Day Average
-21.0%
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
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.
COVID-NET: Trends in Hospitalization Rates in Children Ages 5–11 Years
CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET) shows that for the week ending March 5, the rate of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations for children ages 5–11 years is 0.5 per 100,000 children. The weekly rate of hospitalizations in this group has decreased from its peak of 2.8 per 100,000 children for the week ending January 15, 2022. However, this weekly rate remains elevated compared to the rates observed in this age group before the start of the period of Delta variant predominance in July 2021.
Weekly Rates of COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization among Children Ages 5–11 Years
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 with a standardized case reporting form.
Deaths
The current 7-day moving average of new deaths (749) has decreased 29.5% compared with the previous 7-day moving average (1,063). As of March 23, 2022, a total of 972,550 COVID-19 deaths have been reported in the United States.*
972,550*
Total Deaths Reported
972,550*
Total Deaths Reported
749
Current 7-Day Average*
749
Current 7-Day Average*
1,063
Prior 7-Day Average
1,063
Prior 7-Day Average
-29.5%
Change in 7-Day Average Since Prior Week
-29.5%
Change in 7-Day Average Since Prior Week
*CDC constantly reviews our COVID-19 data to ensure its accuracy. An adjustment was made to COVID Data Tracker’s mortality data on March 14 because CDC’s algorithm was misclassifying deaths that were not COVID-19-related. That algorithm has since been corrected.
It’s important to note that there are two sets of COVID-19 death data that CDC displays publicly, one through COVID Data Tracker and another through our National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Death data on the COVID Data Tracker are real-time and subject to change. NCHS’s National Vital Statistics System is the most complete source of death data, including COVID-19 deaths, as they have a robust and rigorous process for reviewing death certificates in determining the official cause of death. More information about NCHS mortality data can be found here: Understanding the Numbers: Provisional Death Counts and COVID-19 (cdc.gov)Pdf.
**Historical deaths are excluded from the daily new deaths and 7-day average calculations until they are incorporated into the dataset by their applicable date. Of 20,744 historical deaths reported retroactively, none were reported in the current week; and none were reported in the prior week.
Daily Trends in Number of COVID-19 Deaths in the United States Reported to CDC
7-Day moving average
More Death DataTesting
The percentage of COVID-19 NAATs (nucleic acid amplification tests)* that are positive (percent positivity) is stable in comparison to the previous week. The 7-day average of percent positivity from NAATs is now 2.2%. The 7-day average number of tests reported for March 11–17, 2022, was 870,175, down 0.4% from 873,940 for the prior 7 days.
840,793,567
Total Tests Reported
840,793,567
Total Tests Reported
870,175
7-Day Average Tests Reported
870,175
7-Day Average Tests Reported
2.2%
7-Day Average % Positivity
2.2%
7-Day Average % Positivity
2.2%
Previous 7-Day Average % Positivity
2.2%
Previous 7-Day Average % Positivity
-0.02
Percentage point change in 7-Day Average % Positivity since Prior Week
-0.02
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
