COVID-19 Hospitalizations Remain High, as Some Question the Number's Accuracy
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has fallen in recent weeks but remains high after rising for most of the summer. Now, new research is questioning the number's relevance.
The current 7-day average of new COVID-19 hospitalizations is 11,754 as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some hospitals in the South and elsewhere are reportedly suffering from staffing shortages and overcrowded intensive care units (ICUs) as hospitalizations increase. These hospitalizations have often been used as a key measurement of the pandemic's intensity. A preprint, non-peer reviewed study from V.A. hospital researchers questions that metric, based on the fact that the data doesn't specify the intensity of symptoms and that prior vaccination may offer patients extra protection. According to the researchers, roughly half of all hospitalized patients on COVID-data dashboards in 2021 may have only had a mild or asymptomatic case of COVID-19, or may have been admitted for a different, non-COVID-19 reason.
Stories of crowded, understaffed hospitals have been covered frequently by outlets across the spectrum, particularly left- and center-rated sources. The subject has been covered less frequently by right-rated outlets and voices. Skepticism about using the hospitalization metric was seen from left-rated and right-rated voices; these voices noted potential limitations of the V.A. researchers' study while questioning the media and the government for purportedly misusing the hospitalization figure.
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