Public health experts told Insider that it's pointless to compare current COVID-19 data to earlier points in the Pandemic because of the widespread use of rapid at- home testing.
The comparison is not valid. They don't tell you the same type of information.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the Omicron BA.5 subvariant has become the dominant strain in the US, and is estimated to account for more than half of all cases.
It's not a good idea to compare this wave to previous ones since the data being collected has changed a lot.
The current data isn't the same as the previous data.
The data showing spikes in the test positivity percent is meaningless at this point in the Pandemic because most tests are not taken at home.
The CDC's case counts are an "underestimate" according to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Many people with mild to moderate symptoms don't report it because they don't home test.
When the nation's weekly positivity rate spiked to 21% in April 2020, more people were seeking out public testing because there was no other way to be tested for COVID-19.
The current data from the CDC showing coronaviruses case counts is just a small piece of the puzzle.
It's a mental pretzel about what the charts mean now.
According to experts, hospitalization rates are a more relevant metric to watch.
According to the latest data from the CDC, the national COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased since early April. Hospital capacity is an important metric to keep an eye on.
Even if the new subvariant is more likely to cause serious illness and death, the vaccine and booster shots are still effective at preventing it.
The goal is to prevent severe illness, hospitalization and death, so that hospitals don't get overwhelmed.
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