How Does CDC Measure the COVID-19 Community Level?

Last week, the CDC launched “COVID-19 Community Levels” to monitor the number of new cases in communities across the country and to help communities and individuals make decisions based on their local context and their unique needs. How does the CDC measure the COVID-19 Community Level? They look at the combination of three metrics—new COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days, the 7-day average percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days —to determine the COVID-19 Community Level. Using these data, the COVID-19 Community Level is classified as low, medium, or high.