COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to drop

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 continue to drop this month after a short surge in January driven by the XBB.1.5 subvariant, as the U.S. announces a planned end to the Public Health Emergency later this year.

The subvariant, which quickly became a dominant strain in much of the U.S., especially the northeast appeared to drive a surge which peaked in early January but receded much more quickly than many health officials feared.

After the surge of cases, hospitalizations and deaths the numbers have steadily dropped since then, though hospitalizations are still twice what...