We’ve updated our COVID-19 vaccination outcomes data

Outcomes by Vaccination Status dashboard gets a refresh and new home on our main COVID-19 data pages

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Since 2020, we have provided regular updates to our COVID-19 dashboards. These dashboards highlight the most relevant and useful information as the pandemic evolves. As we enter this next phase of the pandemic, we are sharing the latest improvements to our dashboards. We’ve upgraded the Current COVID-19 Metrics and the COVID-19 Trends pages.

With these new charts, our goal is to make it easier to find and understand the current data on Outcomes by Vaccination Status.

  • We are bringing the data together. Geography, demographics, and vaccination status are now all in one place.
  • These pages now include Outcomes by Vaccination Status data. This information was previously on a separate webpage.
  • We are using updated categories for vaccination status that correspond to national guidelines. These categories are more relevant at this point in the vaccination rollout.

The old COVID-19 Outcomes by Vaccination Status Dashboard is available in the archive. We will not be updating this page anymore. Want the newest and most relevant Outcomes by Vaccination Status information? Visit our Metrics and Trends pages.

With these new charts, our goal is to make it easier to find and understand the current data on Outcomes by Vaccination Status.

New charts — A fresh look at the data

Background on the dashboard: We first published the Outcomes by Vaccination Status dashboard in September 2021. It has shown how vaccination is associated with lower rates of severe outcomes — hospitalizations and deaths — from COVID-19.

Then: People could use the dashboard to track and compare rates of reported cases, hospitalizations, and deaths among groups by vaccination status. That dashboard included three vaccination statuses:

  • No doses, or an incomplete primary series (primary series is the first doses you got)
  • A complete primary series
  • A complete primary series and at least one original booster

And the old dashboard only allowed users to look at a few time periods that are now becoming outdated.

Now: We’ve streamlined the new Metrics and Trends charts so they are easier to read. The charts also report on more relevant vaccination categories, time periods, and age groups.

Here are some of the ways we’ve improved the charts.

  • New Vaccination Status categories. We updated the definitions of vaccination status to make them more flexible over time. Here’s what the vaccination status categories mean:
    • Vaccinated, up to date — People who have gotten all recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, most people are up to date once they receive the primary series and an updated (bivalent) booster. The updated booster helps protect against the most recent SARS-CoV-2 variant. Check the CDC guidelines for specific information about whether you’re up to date.
    • Vaccinated, not up to date — People who have gotten some doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, but not all the recommended doses.
    • Unvaccinated — People who have not had any documented doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Focus on Hospitalizations. The new charts also reflect a new emphasis on reporting hospitalizations. The number of hospitalizations has proven to be a more accurate number than cases. This is because cases are not always reported, now that so many people are using home testing or not testing at all. Hospitalizations are the default selection when you open the page. You can switch your view to see information on reported cases and deaths on this dashboard too.
  • More Specific Age Groups. Age groups for people aged 65+ years are now split up into ages 65-79 years and age 80 years and over. This is important because now we can see the impact on people aged 80 years and older. Currently, people 80 years and older have the most severe outcomes related to COVID-19.
  • Mobile Phone Viewing. We’ve updated the charts so you can view them on mobile devices, like phones and tablets. This is another significant improvement over the old dashboard.
  • Current Outcomes vs. Trends. Users will be able to look at both the current outcomes in the past 90 days (Metrics page), and the trends in outcomes over time (Trends page). Both pages contain new sections for Outcomes by Vaccination status.

How to read the charts

Here’s how to look at the different timelines in the charts.

  1. Current COVID-19 Metrics are a snapshot of the last 90 days. Look at this page to see the current rates among people with each vaccination status.

A horizontal bar chart with three bars that shows differences among people with different vaccination statuses.
A screenshot of the new section of the Current COVID-19 Metrics page, showing the updated categories for vaccination status and the default view of hospitalizations.

2. COVID-19 Trends lets you look at any time period since March 1, 2021. We use March 1 as a starting point because before March 1, there were few people fully vaccinated yet. So, there were very few outcomes that could be categorized by vaccine status.

By day: The first chart in the new Outcomes by vaccination status section is a line chart. The line chart shows the rate each day, and you can use the slider along the top of the chart to change the date range.

A line chart with three lines showing hospitalizations since Oct. 1, 2022.
The new line chart of the daily rate of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 on the COVID-19 trends page, with a recent range of dates selected on the slider.

By phase: Below the line chart are three bar charts. The bar charts show the average rates during distinct periods of the pandemic, which we call “phases.”

  • Phases are time periods when the pandemic changed in a major way — for example, a new variant or a large spike.
  • You can switch between different phases. The bar charts below will update to show the average rates during that phase. The top chart shows the rates by vaccination status. The next chart breaks it down further by age group, and the last chart breaks it down further by race/ethnicity.
  • For more details about the phases, visit the About the Data page.

A horizontal bar chart comparing outcomes among 7 different age groups. Each age group has three bars, one for each vaccination status.
The new bar chart of the average daily rate of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 during the first Omicron phase and broken down by age group, on the COVID-19 trends page.

What comes next: We’ll continue to update the Current COVID-19 Metrics page and COVID-19 trends page weekly.

 

Originally published 5/10/2023