Data provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that COVID-19 cases are near their all-time low, coming as the agency recently signed off its advisory panel’s recommendation that certain people should get a second dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

In an update on Oct. 28, data provided by the CDC show that COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths, emergency department visits, and case numbers have been trending downward since the summer.

Recent data show that the nationwide COVID-19 activity in wastewater “is currently low,” the CDC said. In mid-August, the CDC reported that the virus’ levels in wastewater had reached “very high” levels in 31 states.

As of mid-October, there were no states that had reported “very high” levels, while three states only reported “high” levels of viral activity, according to a map from the agency, updated last week.

The number of COVID-19 deaths reported per week is also near their all-time low since the pandemic started in March 2020, according to the CDC’s historic trends date. For the week ending Oct. 19, around 341 deaths were reported by the agency, down from about 1,300 deaths for the week ending Aug. 31, it shows.

The CDC said in its winter outlook that it “expects the fall and winter respiratory disease season will likely have a similar or lower number of combined peak hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV compared to last season.”

The levels of influenza and RSV, otherwise known as respiratory syncytial virus, reported nationwide are also low, the agency added.

Agency Recommends New Vaccine Dose

Last week, CDC Director Mandy Cohen backed the panel’s recommendation that people aged 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems get a second dose of the vaccine six months after the first dose.

“These updated recommendations also allow for flexibility for additional doses ... for those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, in consultation with their healthcare provider,” the agency said on Oct. 23.

“The recommendation acknowledges the increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 in older adults and those who are immunocompromised, along with the currently available data on vaccine effectiveness and year-round circulation of COVID-19,” the CDC said, adding that the decision will provide clarity to health care providers on vaccine dosages.

Last week, the CDC separately recommended that people 50 and older get a shot against the pneumococcal bacteria that can cause pneumonia and other illnesses.

The advisory committee voted 14–1 to make the change during a meeting earlier in the day in Atlanta. The guidance is widely heeded by doctors and prompts health insurers to pay for recommended shots.

New Strain Spreads

The XEC strain of COVID-19 has become the second-most common variant in the United States in recent days, the CDC said on Oct. 28.

Late last month, CDC spokeswoman Rosa Norman told The Epoch Times that the agency is monitoring “the emergence of variants in the population” such as XEC but stressed that “specific cases cannot be associated with specific variants.”

When asked about whether XEC may produce different or more severe symptoms, Norman said the agency isn’t aware of “specific symptoms” that could be linked to XEC.

“At this time, we anticipate that COVID-19 treatments and vaccines will continue to work against all circulating variants,” Norman said. “CDC will continue to monitor the effectiveness of treatment and vaccines against circulating variants. There are other actions you can take to help protect yourself and others from health risks caused by COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.