CDC Key Updates for Week 20, ending May 16, 2020
All data are preliminary and may change as more reports are received. Read Full Update Here.
Key Points
- Nationally, the percentages of laboratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 decreased compared to last week.
- While the number of specimens from children <18 years of age tested is low (<5% of all specimens tested in public health and commercial laboratories), the percentage of these testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in this age group has either trended upward or remained relatively stable in recent weeks. Other age groups have seen declines in percent positivity during the same time period.
- Nationally, visits to outpatient providers and emergency departments (EDs) for illnesses with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 continued to decline. Outpatient ILI visits are below baseline nationally and in all regions of the country.
- The decrease in the percentage of people presenting for care with ILI and CLI may be due to a decline in COVID-19 illness, which could be in part a result of widespread adoption of social distancing in addition to changes in healthcare seeking behavior.
- There has been very little influenza virus activity in recent weeks.
- The overall cumulative COVID-19 associated hospitalization rate is 67.9 per 100,000, with the highest rates in people 65 years of age and older (214.4 per 100,000) followed by people 50-64 years (105.9 per 100,000). Hospitalization rates are cumulative and will increase as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
- Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 in adults (18-64 years) are higher than hospitalization rates for influenza at comparable time points* during the past 5 influenza seasons.
- For people 65 years and older, current COVID-19 hospitalization rates are within ranges of influenza hospitalization rates observed at comparable time points* during recent influenza seasons.
- For children (0-17 years), COVID-19 hospitalization rates are much lower than influenza hospitalization rates at comparable time points* during recent influenza seasons.
- Based on death certificate data, the percentage of deaths attributed to pneumonia, influenza or COVID-19 (PIC) decreased from 18.5% during week 19 to 12.0% during week 20 but remained above baseline. This is the fourth week during which a declining percentage of deaths due to PIC has been recorded, but the percentage remains high compared with any influenza season. The percentage may change as additional death certificates for deaths during recent weeks are processed.
*Number of weeks since 10% of specimens tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza, respectively.
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