CDC: COVID-19 hospital admissions, ED visits remain key indicators after PHE

After the COVID-19 public health emergency ends on May 11, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will use COVID-19-associated hospital admission levels as the primary indicator to guide community and personal decisions related to risk and prevention behaviors; the percentage of all deaths associated with COVID-19 as the primary indicator to monitor COVID-19 mortality; and emergency department visits with a COVID-19 diagnosis and the percentage of positive SARS-CoV-2 test results to help detect early changes in COVID-19 trends, the agency said in a report on changes to the national COVID-19 surveillance strategy, data sources and indicators after the PHE. In a separate assessment of available surveillance data released today, CDC found these data sources “suitable and timely indicators of trends in COVID-19 activity and severity.”