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Rising U.S. and EU COVID-19 Cases and Hospitalization Rates and the Need for COVID-19 Vaccination
With the holiday season upon us and more time spent indoors in close proximity to others, the risk of respiratory virus infection increases.1In November, COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates increased across the U.S. and the European Union (EU). 2-4 Experts have reiterated that, despite COVID-19 fatigue, our best line of defense to protect communities is to get vaccinated with the latest vaccines.5,6
Without vaccination, these rates may continue to rise, posing significant risks for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised.1,5 In the U.S., COVID-19 cases are increasing in many states.2 Preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of November 25, 2023, showed that COVID-19 led to more hospitalizations than influenza, with a hospitalization rate of 4.36 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.83 for influenza.7
As of November 26, 2023, in the EU, there was an overall increasing trend in COVID-19 cases.4Severity indicators such as hospital admission, intensive care unit admissions and death rates continued to increase due to COVID-19, especially in individuals aged 65 and older.4
These rising rates could be slowed if immunization rates increase. In the U.S. and EU, a significant proportion of the population has not received an updated COVID-19 vaccine, despite health authority recommendations.6,9-11 This immunization season, people have options for vaccination, with two vaccine technologies available to protect against COVID-19: protein-based and mRNA vaccines.6,8It is critical that we remain vigilant to help protect against COVID-19.
References:
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Take Steps to Help You Stay Healthy During the Holidays. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/stay-healthy-during-holidays.html [Accessed December 2023].
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trends in United States COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Deaths, Emergency Department (ED) Visits, and Test Positivity by Geographic Area [Data set]. In COVID Data Tracker. Available at: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklyhospitaladmissions_select_00 [Accessed December 2023].
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Weekly Viral Respiratory Illness Snapshot. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data-research/dashboard/snapshot.html [Accessed December 2023].
- European Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overview of respiratory virus epidemiology in the EU/EEA: Weekly overview (week 47, 2023). Available at: https://erviss.org/ [Accessed December 2023].
- World Health Organization. COVID-19 advice for the public: Getting vaccinated. Available at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines/advice [Accessed December 2023].
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html#print [Accessed December 2023].
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Groups Most Impacted—Hospitalizations: Hospitalization Rates for Viral Respiratory Illness, by Age [Data Set]. In Respiratory Viruses Dashboard. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data-research/dashboard/most-impacted-hospitalizations.html [Accessed December 2023].
- European Medicines Agency. COVID-19 medicines: Authorised COVID-19 vaccines. Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/human-regulatory/overview/public-health-threats/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/covid-19-medicines#authorised-covid-19-vaccines-section [Accessed December 2023].
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination Trends—Adults. In Respiratory Viruses Dashboard. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data-research/dashboard/vaccination-trends-adults.html [Accessed December 2023].
- World Health Organization. COVID-19 Vaccination Insights Report - 27 November 2023. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/covid-19-vaccination-insights-report---27-november-2023 [Accessed December 2023].
- World Health Organization. Vulnerable? Vaccinate. Protecting the unprotected from COVID-19 and influenza. Available at: https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/09-10-2023-vulnerable--vaccinate.-protecting-the-unprotected-from-covid-19-and-influenza [Accessed December 2023].
