U.S. to resume mandatory reporting of COVID hospitalizations

Hospitals in the United States will soon be required to report hospital admissions related to COVID-19, restoring a mandate which was lifted earlier this year, according to federal officials. The new rules are due to take effect on November 1.

Hospital data about COVID-19 was often cited as an alternative when many states stopped releasing COVID-related data, including case counts. But those reports became voluntary on May 1, with only 33% of hospitals choosing to participate.

Beginning November 1, hospitals will once again be required to report COVID-19 data, as well as information about influenza and RSV, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the U.S. Department of Health.

“The information required to report includes confirmed infections of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, influenza, and RSV, among hospitalized patients; hospital bed census and capacity; and limited patient demographic information, including age,” a CMS spokesperson told BNO News.

CMS is proposing updates on a weekly basis, though the final decision about the exact frequency is up to the Secretary of Health, Xavier Becerra. His office did not immediately respond when asked about the frequency of updates.

The U.S. is currently in the midst of a COVID summer wave with nearly 178,000 new cases reported last week alone, along with more than 1,000 deaths. Data from the 33% of hospitals participating in the voluntary survey showed 5,357 Americans in hospital with COVID-19. The actual number is believed to be higher.

So far this year, more than 4.9 million COVID cases have been reported across the U.S., causing at least 348,034 hospitalizations (limited data from May 1) and 38,563 deaths, according to BNO’s COVID data tracker.