The fewest Americans admitted to the hospital are testing positive for COVID-19 since August 2020, according to data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 7-day average of daily new admissions sunk to 1,494 on March 31, down from over 21,000 a day in mid-January, the data shows. The previous low was on June 23, 2021, when the figure stood at 1,829.
Hospitalizations have been a key benchmark in measuring the severity of the pandemic. A number of federal, state, and local measures to mitigate the spread have been dropped in recent weeks. Some experts have argued the measures, such as mask wearing in public and lockdowns of schools and businesses, were ineffective to begin with.
