COVID-19 Community Levels

What You Need to Know

  • COVID-19 Community Levels help individuals and communities decide which prevention actions to take based on the latest information. 
  • Each level helps convey how much COVID-19 is impacting your community using data on hospitalizations and cases. 
  • For each level, CDC recommends actions you can take to help protect yourself and others from severe impacts of COVID-19. 

The COVID-19 Community Level and associated metrics presented on our website will be updated weekly, on Friday. For more in depth, county specific COVID information please visit the CDC's website. 

Updated 3/24/23 at 8:35 am

If case rates per 100,000 population for all three counties are reflecting zero for the prior week in each county, it means case rates were less than 10 cases and the actual number is suppressed.

3.24.23 Levels

COVID-19 Prevention Recommendations based on Community Levels

When making decisions about community prevention strategies and individual preventive behaviors in addition to vaccination, people should consider the COVID-19 Community Level in the county. Layered prevention strategies - like staying up to date on vaccines, screening testing, ventilation and wearing masks - can help limit severe disease and reduce potential strain on the health care system. 

COVID Levels - Graphic

COVID Levels Med-High

  • If you are at high risk of getting very sick, wear a well-fitting mask or respirator when indoors in public. 
  • If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for getting very sick, consider testing to detect infection before contact and consider wearing a mask when indoors with them. 

COVID Levels High

  • Wear a well fitting mask or respirator. 
  • If you are at high risk of getting very sick consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed. 

How CDC Measures the COVID-19 Community Levels

CDC looks at the combination of three metrics — 

  • New COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.
  • New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population (7-day total).
  • The percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients (7-day average). 

Using these data, the COVID-19 community level is classified as low, medium, or high.

CDC Levels