The problem with the CDC's 'retrospective' data reporting

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday noted that some frequently-cited COVID-19 statistics don't account for prevalent Delta variant data, leaving health experts lamenting the country's reporting abilities and calling for increased tracking infrastructure.

Although CDC Director Rochelle Walensky emphasized that hospitalizations and deaths are "overwhelmingly" among unvaccinated people, she said during a COVID-19 briefing that the agency's current breakthrough case hospitalization and death statistics are actually from January to June, and don't "reflect the data we have now from the Delta variant." Walensky added that the CDC is "actively working" to update the numbers in the context of the variant.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.