WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to move away from counting new cases as its primary measure of how severe COVID-19 outbreaks are around the U.S., and instead focus on how many people are hospitalized, according to people familiar with the matter.
The changes, which are due to be announced Friday, would shift how the agency assesses risk from the virus. With more than 64% of Americans fully vaccinated and many having already been infected, it would emphasize the burden on hospitals and the rate of severe cases, as opposed to overall case levels.
The result would likely be fewer places where Americans are advised to take precautions such as mask-wearing. Currently, the CDC recommends that in areas of “high” or “substantial” transmission that “everyone should wear a mask in public, indoor settings.”
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