Where COVID-19 hospitalizations currently stand

For the week ending Sept. 30, there were 18,139 new COVID-19 hospital admissions in the United States, a 6% decline from the week before. ED visits for COVID-19 also dropped 14.5% during the same time period.

Despite declines in hospitalization, there was a slight increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths. For the week ending Sept. 30, there was a 3.8% increase in deaths from COVID-19 compared to the week before.

Overall, nine states saw substantial increases in hospitalizations while another eight states saw moderate increases during the week ending Sept. 30.

COVID-19 hospitalizations are still a 'continued public health threat'

According to a new CDC study, COVID-19 hospitalizations are a "continued public health threat," particularly among adults ages 65 and older.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from CDC's COVID-19-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network between January and August 2023.

Overall, they found that adults ages 65 and older made up 62.9% of all COVID-19 hospitalizations during this time period. Hospitalization rates ranged from 8.6 per 100,000 among patients ages 65 to 74 to 42.2 per 100,000 among patients ages 85 and older.

During the week ending Aug. 26, the hospitalization rate for patients ages 65 and older was 16.4 per 100,000. This was nine times higher than the rate among patients ages 18 to 64 and 16 times higher than the rate for patients younger than 18.

During the first half of 2023, older adults also made up t61.3% of ICU admissions and 87.9% of in-hospital COVID-19 deaths. Almost all (98.5%) of the patients ages 65 and older had at least one underlying condition, and 90.3% had two or more conditions, such as diabetes, chronic heart failure, or obesity.

According to the study's authors, the findings show that older adults continue to be at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 and should be vaccinated. However, only 58.6% of these patients had received the original vaccines, and only 23.6% had received an updated bivalent booster, which was initially rolled out in September 2022.

"COVID-19-associated hospitalizations continue to predominantly affect adults aged ≥65 years and represent a continued public health threat," the authors wrote. "All adults, especially those aged ≥65 years and others at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19 illness, should reduce their risk…by receiving recommended COVID-19 vaccines, adopting measures to reduce risk for contracting [COVID], and seeking early outpatient antiviral treatment after receipt of a positive [COVID] test result." (Smith-Schoenwalder, U.S. News & World Report, 10/5; Kekatos, ABC News, 10/5; CDC COVID Data Tracker, accessed 10/6)

CDC has recommended that all Americans ages 6 months and older receive at least one dose of the newest COVID-19 shot, and experts say most Americans should get their shots in October.