The CDC plans to simplify the COVID-19 hospital data it collects as some assembled information has become outdated or redundant.
The agency is likely to stop collecting data from hospitals on “suspected” COVID-19 cases that haven’t been confirmed by tests, for example, and may also wind down federal reporting from rehabilitation and mental health facilities that aren’t major intake points for virus cases, according to a draft of the plan that was viewed by Bloomberg News.
Early in the pandemic, when SARS-CoV-2 tests were sparse and it could take days to confirm COVID-19 cases, the U.S. encouraged hospitals to report all likely infections. But since most hospitals now test all patients on admission, “suspected” cases can be confirmed or ruled out within hours, making the data not particularly useful.
The CDC is also suggesting that the U.S. stop collecting COVID-19 vaccination data from hospitals.