D.C. hits new peak for COVID-19 hospitalizations

The District hit a new peak of 580 coronavirus hospitalizations reported yesterday, with 9,201 new confirmed coronavirus cases over the last four days. Seven new deaths were reported.

Why it matters: The new record for hospitalizations comes as the Omicron variant continues to grip the region, hitting poorer communities the hardest with case totals.

• But ventilator use among hospitalized patients is less than half what it was early in the pandemic, when in May 2020 the previous record for total hospitalizations was 477 and ventilator use peaked at 96 patients, according to D.C. data.
• Today 39 patients are on ventilators. The percentage of COVID-19 cases that resulted in hospitalization is lower than a month ago.
• The data tracks with what we’ve been hearing from experts: More cases mean more hospitalizations, but Omicron is resulting in milder disease. And vaccinations are keeping many positive cases out of the hospital.

The District has a daily case rate of nearly 267 cases per 100,000 people, slightly down from a peak of over 286 a week ago.