MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) — A wave of coronavirus is sweeping across the country as more than 40 states see an increase in the number of illnesses, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Here in Wisconsin, the viral activity spot is lately rated as “moderate” and sites are reporting on this virus.
Experts said there are several reasons why this so-called “summer surge” is occurring.
“I think the prevailing theory right now is that when other people go inside and close the windows, that makes it less difficult to have close contact,” said Dr. Jim Conway, medical director of immunization programs at the University of Wisconsin. “I think other people have also let their guard down and forgotten that, unfortunately, in the summer months respiratory viruses can still circulate. “
Another explanation is that travel resumes in the warmer months.
“People are starting to pick up strength and most of them have made the decision that the pandemic is over and have abandoned all the mitigation and masking measures that they were applying for much of the last two years,” Dr. Conway said. I think other people want to understand that while we can get back to some point of normalcy in our lives, I think it’s still vital not to forget that we want to do some of the things we’ve been doing to protect ourselves. ourselves, but also to protect those very vulnerable and high-risk populations.
Dr. Conway said this is the fourth year in a row that the United States has seen an increase during the summer, also due to the constant evolution of other variants.
With a new booster shot set to roll out this fall, officials proposed talking to your doctor to stay up to date, because while those shots have been shown to be effective, their coverage is most potent in the first few months after the shot.
“It exists and can spread, you know, almost year-round, I think right now,” Dr. Conway said.