(CNN) During another destructive wave Covid-19 across the country, exists good news: Some states are starting to see the number of infections and hospitalizations decline. But it doesn't happen everywhere.
As cases appear to be starting to fall, Covid-19 hospitalizations in the Northeast are down about 11 percent since peaking about a week ago and are also down slightly — about 6 percent — in the Midwest, according to with data from the Department of Health and Human Services. And new Covid-19 hospital admissions are beginning to decline nationally, a sign that overall admissions may soon begin to decline in every part of the country as well.
The HHS data includes both patients hospitalized for complications of Covid-19 and patients who may have been admitted for something else but tested positive for Covid-19. This was true throughout the pandemic, but the proportion of patients falling into each category may have changed over time.
“All of the current data shows very encouraging trends, with many of our key health metrics continuing to decline substantially,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday. “But we're not out of the woods. Even though we've been able to get significant drops in the metrics, and they're continuing to drop, they're still way higher than they've been or where we need to be.”
Also this week, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the state is seeing a decline in Covid-19 hospitalizations and ICU and ventilator use, and in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said cases and hospitalizations are also down.
And in New York, the state's “positivity rate” is in the single digits,” for the first time since Dec. 20, Gov. Kathy Hotchul said Friday.
But in other parts of the country, a different picture. Covid-19 hospitalization numbers rose by about 15% last week in the West and by about 6% in the South — with many hospitals strained by the surge in patients and severe staff shortages.
It is also a Covid-19 hospital continuing to rise in West Virginia. Governor Jim. Justice on Friday appealed to residents to get their vaccinations and boosters, saying it would be a “real mistake” not to.
“Getting vaccinated or boosted stacks the deck to keep you out of the hospital — I'm living proof.” he said Justice, who tested positive for the virus earlier this month.
In North Carolina, where health officials say the Omicron variant “Sending record numbers of people” to hospitals, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Emergency Management requested federal support Friday for the Charlotte area to help hospital systems. In a news, Health officials said hospitalization numbers could rise further this month. The vast majority of people hospitalized with the virus are not vaccinated, officials said.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson was announced On Friday, Covid-19 hospitalizations rose to a record 1,658, but he said he was “hopeful that we will see the cases go down”.
In Washington state, King County hospitals and health care leaders issued an “urgent appeal” to residents to help relieve the strain facing local health care systems.
“While there are promising signs with cases falling in recent days, King County hospitals are still under tremendous pressure from increased hospitalizations, staff shortages and difficulty discharging patients who no longer need care,” their press release said. “In the past month, COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased by more than 700 percent.”
Washington State Hospital Association President and CEO Cassie Sauer described it as “the most difficult situation we've seen to date” and noted that the patients hardest hit by the virus are almost all unvaccinated and unboosted .
“We have already been forced to cancel most surgeries – delaying care that would help someone live a better, healthier life,” the statement added.
Hospitals urged residents to get vaccinated, get their booster shots, upgrade their masks and avoid crowded indoor spaces, among other recommendations.
Your questions about the coronavirus, answered
Doctors treat a patient suffering from the effects of Covid-19 in the ICU at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut on January 18, 2022.
CDC weighs 'shift' in language about vaccinations
As the highly contagious Omicron variant continues to spread, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to “twist” its language around what it means to be fully vaccinated, said director Dr. Rochelle Walensky at a White House briefing on Friday.
But the director did not say the definition of fully vaccinated should change and instead focused on what it means to be “up to date” on Covid-19 vaccinations.
Fully vaccinated people who are eligible to receive a booster dose of vaccine but have not been boosted are not considered “up-to-date” on their vaccinations, Walensky said.
“What we're really working to do is twist the language to make sure everyone is as current with their COVID-19 vaccines as they could be personally, based on when they had their last shot,” said Walensky. he said.
“So it's important, right now, that we're twisting our language. We really want to make sure people are informed,” he added.
Speaking to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the CDC hasn't updated its definition of “fully vaccinated” because its recommendations are about “how well protected you are, not a definition.”
“It almost becomes a matter of semantics,” said Fauci, who noted that terminology can confuse people.
“One of the things we're talking about from a pure public health standpoint is how well you're protected, rather than the definition of making someone required or not required,” said Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. .
About 63.3% of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC data. Of these people, only about 39.5% have received booster shots.
New studies make a strong case for boosters
Three new major studies from the CDC emphasize the importance of getting a booster.
The boost was 90 percent effective in preventing hospitalizations during a period in December and January when Omicron was the dominant variant, according to a CDC study that looked at nearly 88,000 hospitalizations in 10 states. By comparison, getting two shots was 57% effective when at least six months had passed since the second shot.
The boost was 82 percent effective in preventing visits to emergency rooms and urgent care centers, according to the study, which looked at more than 200,000 visits in 10 states. By comparison, getting two shots was only 38% effective in preventing these visits when at least six months had passed since the second shot. The study was published Friday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
A second study, published in the same place, concluded that people with three shots were less likely to become infected with Omicron. And the third study, to be published in the medical journal JAMA, showed that giving a booster helped prevent people from getting sick with Omicron.
“I think it's the third dose that really gives you the solid, best protection,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a longtime CDC vaccine consultant who was not involved in the studies.
CNN's Mirna Alsharif, Deidre McPhillips, Katherine Dillinger and Jacqueline Howard contributed to this report.
