Why are the guidelines changing now? There are two primary reasons the CDC has relaxed its recommendations: The vast majority of Americans now have some immunity against COVID, and the virus is leading to fewer hospitalizations and deaths than in years past. In fact, research published in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in June suggests that more than 96% of people 16 and older have antibodies — from previous infection, vaccination or, most commonly, a combination of the two — that fight the COVID virus. While the estimated number of COVID cases remains “high,” according to the CDC’s wastewater tracking dashboard, there were 28% fewer people sick enough to be hospitalized the last week of February compared with the same time last year. Deaths are down from 2,642 in the week ending Feb. 4, 2023, to 1,576 in the same week this year. The CDC’s data tracker predicts that both of these figures will continue to trend downward.
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