There is a developing COVID-19 summer wave.
William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, states unequivocally that “there’s definitely a bump.” Over the last three weeks, the medical center has noticed a consistent rise in COVID-19 hospital admissions, according to Schaffner. “I’m afraid that was totally expected.”
Every year, COVID-19 peaks occur in the summer and then again in the winter. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that produces COVID-19, has not established a seasonal pattern, in contrast to influenza, which almost vanishes in the summer (SN: 1/29/24). Every time and anyplace that people congregate indoors, it spreads.
Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and physician specializing in infectious illnesses, states that this is an endemic virus that is truly unavoidable if one is going to be interacting with humans.
According to Adalja, COVID-19 has become less severe as a result of vaccination immunity, previous infections, and virus therapies. This summer wave is not overpowering hospitals like prior ones have.
One of the only ways to measure the virus’s spread is through wastewater surveillance data, which shows that the virus’s varieties are spreading across the country, particularly in western states and areas with mild winters. Additionally, Schaffner notes that the current variations are “incredibly infectious.”
Summertime upswing
About half of the U.S. states have detected high or extremely high amounts of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wastewater, particularly in western areas.
SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater as of July 11, 2024, broken down by state
KP.3.1.1, a great-great-great-grandchild of omicron, is one variety that is becoming more and more common. Researchers report July 17 in a preprint uploaded to bioRxiv.org that the offspring of omicrons, like other offspring, have various mutations in the spike protein, including one that enables it dodge antibodies created after an infection with recent versions or immunization with one of last fall’s version of the vaccines.
According to Schaffner, there are steps people may take to prevent getting sick, but the increasing wave of diseases is probably going to continue until August.
How to stay away from COVID-19
Boost your protection by receiving a coronavirus vaccination, suggests Schaffner. This is particularly crucial for the elderly and those with illnesses like diabetes that increase their risk of developing serious illnesses. Researchers calculated that 6.6% of adult Americans have impaired immune systems; their findings were published in JAMA in February. Those folks are particularly exposed, according to Schaffner.
There’s definitely less immunity from the immunization from previous year. High-risk individuals, particularly those 65 years of age and older, should think about being vaccinated now and receive updated immunizations in the fall, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to Adalja, vaccines are useful in avoiding hospital stays and serious illnesses, but they are ineffective in preventing infection at this time. Moreover, vaccination helps ward off prolonged COVID (SN: 7/17/24).
Another option is to don an N-95 or KN-95 mask. Schaffner adds, “And you have to put them on correctly.” “It doesn’t help at all to wear them on your forehead or below your nose.”
Immunocompromised individuals and other high-risk populations can receive Pemgarda, a monoclonal antibody, to help stave off infection, according to Adalja.
How to handle being ill
whether you’re sick right now, get tested to check whether it’s COVID-19, but if the test comes back negative, don’t rule it out too soon. According to Adalja, a negative test could indicate that you have a different sickness or that your immune system is controlling the coronavirus. A PCR test performed in a doctor’s office or another at-home test could provide a more lucid result.
The CDC recommended isolating oneself until feeling better and not having a fever for at least 24 hours in their revised guidelines, which were made public in March. This holds true for all respiratory ailments. According to Schaffner, some COVID-19 carriers never get fevers, therefore they must exercise caution when determining whether it is safe for them to leave the house. The CDC recommends wearing a mask while interacting with people and being cautious for at least five days after symptoms improve.
Here, sound judgment is also helpful, according to Schaffner. Consider who you will be with and how long you will be in a confined location. He suggests delaying the long-planned poker game and the visit to granny in the assisted living facility in favor of going for an outside stroll.
Individuals in high-risk categories may benefit from using antiviral medications like molnupiravir or Paxlovid. Researchers found that the paxlovid vaccine only shortens the length of illness in those who receive it by one day, a finding that is not statistically significant and was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on April 4. While some studies have found no benefit with Paxlovid, others have suggested it might help avoid extended COVID (SN: 3/31/23).
According to Adalja, COVID-19 will not go away. Though “medicine and science have given us tremendous amounts of tools to deal with this virus, more than for any other respiratory virus,” new varieties will inevitably emerge, leading to new outbreaks of illness.
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