COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review

For the week ending May 20, 2022, cases and hospitalizations continued to rise as the United States marked one million deaths from COVID-19. While about 54% of the U.S. population is experiencing low COVID-19 Community Levels, many areas have moved into medium and high levels. COVID-19 Community Levels can help communities and individuals make decisions based on their local context and their unique needs.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best option to lower your risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death if you get infected. Many people have started vaccination, but most have not stayed up to date. About 78% of people in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 66.5% are fully vaccinated. Of those who are fully vaccinated, 46.4% have received a booster and are considered up to date. Everyone ages 5 years and older is eligible to receive one booster after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine primary series. Some people are eligible to receive a second booster.

People who are up to date on vaccines have much lower risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19 compared with people who are unvaccinated. CDC's COVID Data Tracker shows that in March 2022, adults ages 18 years and older who were unvaccinated were about 5 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who were up to date. In the same month, people ages 12 years and older and unvaccinated were 17 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those who were up to date.

COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and even dying-especially people who are boosted. As with other diseases, you are protected best from COVID-19 when you stay up to date with recommended vaccines. Find a vaccine provider near you.

Note to Readers: CDC will not publish the COVID Data Tracker Weekly Review on Friday, May 27, 2022. The Weekly Review will resume publication on Friday, June 3, 2022. To find all the latest COVID-19 data, visit COVID Data Tracker.