Like clockwork, the summer resurgence of COVID-19 has become as expected as the changing of seasons.
The CDC no longer tracks Covid cases, but it estimates transmission based on emergency department visits. Both Covid deaths and ED visits have risen in the last week.
Emergency rooms are seeing a 15% increase in treating people who have COVID, and hospitalizations for severe cases are up 25%. Signs of the virus that causes COVID found in the nation’s wastewater are also trending upward, mirroring a curve seen last summer as well.
Cases are most likely increasing in 39 states and aren’t declining anywhere in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hospitalizations also climbed 25% from May 26 to June 1, the latest data available. The highest reported rates of positive COVID tests are in the region that includes California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii, where 10% or more of tests are showing positive. The positive rate remains below 10% throughout the rest of the U.S., and less than 5% of tests are positive throughout most of the Southeastern U.S. and up the coast to Pennsylvania.
Most U.S. states are having weekly COVID deaths, but numbers are dramatically down from the height of thousands per week earlier in the pandemic. For the week ending June 15, each U.S. state reported fewer than 10 deaths due to COVID.
The counts are modest compared to previous summer COVID waves, but the rise is still large enough to translate into a meaningful increased risk.
Covid infections have historically spiked over the summer, in part because of an increase in travel and people congregating indoors, where it’s cooler. This year appears to be no exception, though disease experts expect this season’s wave to be milder in terms of severe disease.
But the illness still poses serious health threats, and research continues to show that it is more dangerous than the flu. In addition to staying up to date on vaccination, the CDC recommends practicing good hygiene, such as thorough hand-washing, and staying home and away from others if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness. Wearing a mask is still a good prevention strategy, the CDC says.
Certain groups of people, such as those who are older or who have weakened immune systems, are particularly at risk for severe and potentially life-threatening cases of COVID. Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. recommended that people who are the most vulnerable to infection consider getting the latest Covid vaccine now if they haven’t already.
However, he said most young, healthy people can hold out for the updated Covid vaccines expected to arrive this fall, experts said.
He added that a monoclonal antibody drug called Pemgarda has been available since April for immunocompromised people. The antiviral medication Paxlovid should also help reduce the likelihood of hospitalization or death.
Sources: WebMD and Associated Press