ROCHESTER – Wastewater data shows a slight increase in COVID-19 infections in many parts of the United States, Rochester added, in July.
“It obviously turns out that the number of COVID cases is expanding nationally and locally,” Dr. Kelly said. Priya Sampathkumar, an internal medicine physician and chief of infection prevention at the Mayo Clinic.
This has resulted in number one care providers recently seeing more patients with symptoms of respiratory illnesses, Sampathkumar said.
“(They) are also getting more people reporting to us that they have tested positive at home,” Sampathkumar said of his colleagues. “The number of other people reporting that they have tested positive has increased in recent weeks. “
The number of people hospitalized with COVID has increased this month, Sampathkumar said, but most cases “still appear relatively mild, probably due to pre-vaccination immunity or pre-COVID illness. “
However, the number of visits to local emergency rooms continues to decline, said Matthew Giljork, Olmsted County public fitness epidemiologist.
“So far, hospitalizations have resulted in increased use of extensive care or deaths,” Giljork said.
At Olmsted Medical Center they have noticed an increase in hospitalizations, said Dr. Odette El Helou, an infectious disease physician at OMC.
The dominant COVID variant causing infections in the United States is KP. 3, which Sampathkumar said appears to be more transmissible or cause more severe illness.
A wave of COVID infections in summer is rarely very necessary: Sampathkumar said it appears that COVID sets in a seasonal pattern: a peak of cases in winter and a smaller peak in summer.
“It’s too early to be sure, but right now it turns out that the scenario is settling into a kind of bimodal peak,” Sampathkumar said.
Other factors, El Helou said, are that other people travel more in the summer and are therefore more exposed to the virus, and that the coverage point presented through last fall’s COVID vaccines is starting to decline.
To get sick, the same precautions that medical professionals have been sharing since the beginning of the pandemic continue to work.
“Have smart hygiene, wash your hands,” El Helou said, “smart ventilation: stay outdoors if possible, open the windows of your space if there are other people inside. “
“We expect COVID boosters to be available by early September,” Sampathkumar said. “Everyone definitely look into this vaccine and get it. As we’ve all seen, getting vaccinated may not completely protect you from a COVID infection, it’s still very, very effective at preventing serious illness and preventing death. “
If you get sick, get tested early to see if it’s COVID, Sampathkumar said, so you can look into a remedy like Paxlovid if you’re eligible.
“We propose that you stay home if you have symptoms and wear a mask for at least the time you have symptoms and potentially up to five days after your symptoms to protect everyone around you,” Sampathkumar said.