Covid Hospitalizations By Age

Covid-associated hospitalizations have spiked for all age groups, as the Omicron variant exploits gaps in vaccination coverage across the U.S.

Covid-associated hospitalizations per 100,000 population by age, U.S.

Aug 1, 2020 - Jan 11, 2022

Source: HHS Covid-19 datasets and Census Bureau Vintage 2020 PEP. Notes: 7-day average of new admissions for confirmed Covid cases. Based on reporting from all hospitals (n=5,263). Due to potential reporting delays, data reported in the most recent 7 days (as represented by shaded bar) should be interpreted with caution.

Although the Omicron variant appears to cause milder disease than previous variants among the vaccinated, the combination of high infection rates and low vaccination rates has caused Covid hospitalizations to surpass last year’s winter peak and reach a new one-day record of 145,982.1,2 Hospitalization rates in all age groups have spiked since December 2021, straining health care systems across the nation (ICU capacity, by state). For the elderly, hospitalization rates remain the highest and are increasing nationwide. CDC data also shows a smaller, yet sharp increase in hospitalizations for younger adults (between 18-29 years and 30-39 years), specifically in areas with lower vaccination rates.3 (Vaccination rates, by county) In Arkansas, for example, hospitalizations for adults 18-29 years old increased by 70% from January 5 to January 12.3

Child hospitalizations associated with Covid have reached a new high, particularly for children under 5, for whom vaccination is not yet an option. As of January 1, 2022, CDC data showed hospitalizations for children 0-4 years old have more than doubled since early December, with 10 children hospitalized for every 100,000 children.4 Hospitalizations for children 5-17 years old also ticked up, with 3 hospitalizations per 100,000 children. Despite the pediatric surge, some experts find this trend unsurprising due to the sheer increase in cases.5 Even so, experts agree that child hospitalization rates should be closely monitored as the Omicron variant continues to surge across the nation.

1. “U.S. breaks record with more than 145,000 covid-19 hospitalizations”. Nirappil, Shammas, Keating, and Bernstein. The Washington Post. January, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/01/10/covid-hospitalized-omicron/

2. “What are the symptoms of Omicron? Here’s how they differ in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients”. Whelan. MedicalXPress. January, 2022. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-01-symptoms-omicron-differ-vaccinated-unvaccinated.html

3. “New Admissions of Patients with Confirmed COVID-19 per 100,000 Population by Age Group, United States”. CDC. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#new-hospital-admissions

4. “COVID-NET Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations”. CDC. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#covidnet-hospitalization-network

5. “COVID Hospitalizations Rising in Kids Too Young for Vaccine”. McNiff. HealthDay. January, 2022. https://consumer.healthday.com/covid-in-young-children-2656256077.html

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