CDC releases new framework to measure the impact of COVID-19 in counties and corresponding guidance

Key Takeaways

On February 25, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) unveiled the COVID-19 Community Levels Framework, which aims to measure the impact of COVID-19 illness on local health and healthcare systems. The new tool can be leveraged to help communities monitor and identify when they are facing a low, medium or high level of risk from COVID-19, while also offering recommendations for personal and community prevention measures against the disease at each of the three risk levels. The guidance is intended to prevent cases of severe disease and reduce the burden COVID-19 is placing on local healthcare systems.

To determine the COVID-19 community level, CDC uses a combination of three metrics: 

1. New COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population in the past 7 days
2. Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by patients with COVID-19
3. Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days

Of the three metrics used, COVID-19 admissions and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied are weighed more heavily than new cases, which represents the CDC’s emphasis on addressing the potential strain on local health systems and increased cases of severe disease.

According to these metrics, risk categories are defined as follows:

• High risk: Increased levels of COVID-19 hospital admissions and hospital capacity levels due to COVID-19 patients. Mask wearing is recommended by the CDC in areas classified as high risk.
• Medium risk: Some increased impact on the healthcare system and more people with severe disease. If an individual is at an increased risk, they should talk to their healthcare provider about wearing a mask.
• Low risk: COVID-19 has a limited impact on the healthcare system and low levels of severe disease.

The new risk level definitions have resulted in relaxed CDC guidance for mask wearing in communities where hospitals are not considered to be under high strain. Nearly 70 percent of the nation’s population lives in an area considered to be low or medium risk, and residents in these areas are advised they can go indoors without a mask. About 38 percent of the nation’s counties are in the new high-risk category, where mask wearing is recommended including in schools. The CDC recommends that residents at all levels receive both the vaccine and booster and get tested if they are experiencing symptoms.

Additionally, as a part of the new framework, the CDC no longer recommends universal school and early care masking, and instead educational settings will follow the same guidelines for the community in which they are located.

The COVID-19 Community Levels will help communities decide what prevention steps to dial up or down based on the latest data and on their local context and unique needs such as community vaccination coverage or inequities in access to prevention strategies.

To learn more about the COVID-19 Community Levels and access the new tool, click here.

For the latest information on COVID-19 protocols, visit CDC’s COVID-19 website.

Additional Resources

• NACo Blog: White House announces new plan to increase COVID-19 testing in schools
• NACo Blog: White House announces new plan to protect Americans from Delta and Omicron variants