COVID-19 hospitalization rate down 50 percent compared to 2021 peak, data shows

Andrew Noymer, a public health [associate] professor at the University of California, Irvine, has argued that case numbers have lost relevance. “Hospitalizations are where the rubber meets the road. It’s a more objective measure,” Noymer told the Associated Press. “If I had to choose one metric, I would choose the hospitalization data.”