(CNN) — COVID-19 degrees have been surging in the United States for weeks as new variants drive what’s got an annual spike in the summer.
COVID-19 surveillance has been especially reduced since the public health emergency ended in the United States more than a year ago: individual cases are no longer counted and serious results are based on representative samples of the population, something that is not yet known. it shows a stable ascending end.
Infections are most likely emerging in at least 38 states, according to data from the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Wastewater surveillance suggests viral activity remains low, but hospitalizations and deaths are also increasing.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 degrees are at their highest in the West, where viral levels are back to what they were in February, and in the South.
“The virus has a tendency to reflect well and stay alive in a warm, humid environment. This is consistent with what we are seeing,” said Dr. Robert Hopkins, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, a public fitness organization. non profit. “The south and west are hot and humid right now. “
The summer crisis has become a familiar seasonal phenomenon, but experts warn that the coronavirus may still be unpredictable.
“I think it’s still a little early to say what the trend is,” Hopkins said. “A lot of the population has been exposed to the virus to some extent, the peaks have been a little lower and we’ve tended to see an increase in summer as well as an increase in winter. But I think it’s a little early to say if this trend is going to continue or if it will become a year-round disease or if it will persist at some point.
Data from WastewaterSCAN, a national wastewater monitoring network founded at Stanford University in partnership with Emory University, suggests that this summer wave began weeks earlier than last summer’s wave and reached similar degrees to last summer’s peak.
“It remains to be seen if this will be a peak for this increase,” said Dr. Kelly. Marlene Wolfe, assistant professor of environmental fitness at Emory and director of the WastewaterSCAN program.
“We’re still trying to perceive what the potential seasonality of COVID is and also what are the effects of the new variants that could emerge that are causing those surges that we’re seeing more regularly, more so than in the case of flu and RSV,” he said. she declared. Formation
In recent months, the JN. 1 virus variant, which caused this winter’s wave, has been overtaken by new offshoots. These variants called FLiRT – an acronym that refers to the locations of the amino acid mutations detected by the virus – have changes in some areas that help them evade the body’s immune reaction and in others that help them be more transmissible. Two of them, KP. 3 and KP. 2, now account for more than a share of new COVID infections in the United States, according to CDC data.
Expect an updated vaccine this fall
Due to production delays, experts want to make predictions now about whether they will have a new vaccine by the fall.
Earlier this month, the FDA approved a plan to update COVID-19 vaccines to be more effective compared to the JN. 1 lineage of the coronavirus, but the company later updated its own recommendation. Vaccine brands have been asked to target the KP. . 2 tension, if possible, in part due to the “recent backlog of cases”.
“JN. 1 has continued to evolve and it is difficult to decide which rapid strain to use,” said Dr. Jerry Weir, director of the Division of Viral Products in the Office of Vaccine Research and Review at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Evaluation. the FDA. Investigation, reported to independent advisory committee prior to initial recommendation.
The new vaccines, some of which will move to KP. 2, are expected to be available between mid-August and late September. That’s enough time to offer coverage during the winter respiratory virus season, but most likely after this summer. The wave has receded.
On Thursday, the CDC recommended anyone 6 months of age and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-25 season. The council echoes the vote of the agency’s independent advisory committee.
“It makes sense to get this vaccine at the same time you expect flu and RSV, because you just need to slow down the overall onset of the disease,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia, medical director of the State and Territorial Health Association. . Officials told CNN.
COVID-19 vaccine protection is waning and the timing of the shot prioritizes maximum coverage when there have been higher and more sustained spikes, Plescia said. Unlike the flu and RSV, COVID-19 circulates constantly; He does not give a truce.
“You never get a break,” he said. We’re taking a break from the flu and RSV. You pass the season and that’s it. You can prepare the next one. [COVID] is still here.
Flu and RSV levels remain low in the United States, according to the latest CDC update. But vaccination rates against the three primary respiratory viruses lagged behind the winter season, and CDC advisers were also looking forward to the upcoming season with debates about vaccine policy recommendations for influenza and RSV.
On Wednesday, the CDC updated its recommendations for who receives the RSV vaccine. For the upcoming respiratory virus season, everyone age 75 and older is encouraged to receive the RSV vaccine, as well as people ages 60 to 74 who are at higher risk for severe illness.
The adjustments are intended to “simplify RSV vaccine decision-making for physicians and the public,” the firm said.
When it comes to infectious respiratory diseases, Plescia said, “people want to know that there are things that can be done to reduce the risk. And getting vaccinated is the main one. “
CNN’s Jen Christensen contributed to this report.
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