Based on the Centers for Disease Control’s Covid data tracker and using Thursday as the first day of the week, here are the FEHBlog weekly charts of new Covid cases and deaths from the 27th week of 2021 through the 13th week of 2022:
The CDC weekly review of its Covid data adds
Currently, there are 19 (0.59%) counties with a high COVID-19 Community Level, 146 (4.53%) counties with a medium Community Level, and 3,059 (94.88%) counties with a low Community Level. This represents a slight (−0.84%) decrease in the number of high-level counties, a moderate (−2.73%) decrease in the number of medium-level counties, and a corresponding (+3.57%) increase in the number of low-level counties. Twenty-seven (48.21%) of 56 jurisdictions had no high- or medium-level counties this week. To check your COVID-19 community level, visit COVID Data Tracker.
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The current 7-day daily average [of new Covid hospital admissions] for March 23–29, 2022, was 1,564. This is a 15.8% decrease from the prior 7-day average (1,858) from March 16–22, 2022. * * *
The current 7-day moving average of new [Covid] deaths (627) has decreased 14.4% compared with the previous 7-day moving average (732).
Here’s a link to the FEHBlog’s weekly chart of new Covid vaccinations distributed and administered from the beginning of the Covid vaccination era until last Wednesday.
The CDC’s weekly review notes
As of March 30, 2022, the 7-day average number of adhttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.htmlministered vaccine doses reported (by date of CDC report) to CDC per day was 214,405, a 17.8% increase from the previous week.
CDC’s COVID Data Tracker displays vaccination trends by age group, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural status. To see trends by age group and race/ethnicity, visit the Vaccination Demographic Trends tab. To see trends by urban/rural status, visit the COVID-19 Vaccination Equity tab.
The American Medical Association offers guidance to physicians concerning the FDA’s emergency authorization of a second Covid booster for Americans aged 50 and older.
HR Dive discusses what employers should take away from the Biden Administration’s updated approach to Omicron.
Here’s a link to the CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report or Fluview.
From the “and more” department —
- HR Dive discusses what employers can do to help employees with adolescent children suffering from behavioral health issues. For example, because a shortage of child psychiatrists exists,
Telemental health programs offer convenient access (often at lower cost than in-person care) for many services—and some, like Brightline, are designed specifically for families of children with mental health needs. However, recent studies have shown that telehealth offerings are not being utilized as much for children as they are for adults, for rural populations as they are for urban ones, or for low-income communities as they are for wealthier ones. Clearly, there is an opportunity for employers to make vulnerable populations aware of the telemental health services available to them.
- BioPharma Dive identifies “Five FDA decisions to watch in the second quarter. Between April and June, the agency will advance key regulatory reviews in ALS and gene therapy as well as host an advisory meeting on cancer drugs.”
- Health Payer Intelligence tells us about a study, published in JAMA Network Open, finding that insurance “Coverage mandates for a certain kind of breast cancer screening known as DBT may drive utilization upward and cost downward, but the value of this screening remains uncertain.” The article notes “there are steps payers can take [now] to improve cancer patient navigation and patient experience, including reforming network adequacy and streamlining appeals processes.”