For the week ending July 6, positive COVID-19 tests increased by 0. 8 percent, COVID-related emergency room visits increased by more than 23 percent, and hospitalizations increased by just over thirteen percent.
“We’re seeing an expected summer surge,” says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of preventive medicine and fitness policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. “COVID does not disappear in the summer like the flu does. If we look back at our last two years, we have noticed a build-up in the summer months. It decreases again in the fall, then there is a true seasonal buildup in the winter.
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“COVID numbers tend to rise because of a constellation of factors: more people gather, more people travel, and more people go indoors to escape excessive heat,” says Peter Chin-Hong, MD, an infectious disease specialist. disease specialist and professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
A new set of variants and waning immunity to vaccines may also contribute to the problem, Chin-Hong adds.
Since COVID-19 swept the world more than four years ago, the virus has mutated rapidly. Many versions of the virus could have evaded immune defenses that other people developed after infection or vaccination, although newer versions of COVID-19 did not cause as many serious ailments as versions emerged at the start of the pandemic.
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The highly transmissible LB. 1 variant is very similar to the FLiRT strains, but has an additional mutation. These 4 main variants are all descriptive of the omicron variant JN. 1, which now accounts for just over 7% of cases, but accounts for more than a share of infections at the end of March.
As the virus evolves rapidly, vaccine brands must keep pace and adjust their formulas to be more effective against circulating strains.
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Dr. Schaffner notes that at this point, it’s highly unlikely that the fall vaccine can be further tweaked to directly combat an emerging variant like LB. 1. “There is a limited time to manufacture these vaccines, bottle them and distribute them. “However, the existing dominant strains are all subvariants of the omicron family, so vaccines opposed to the KP strains are expected to deliver antibodies that oppose LB. 1. “
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With at least one mini-wave of COVID-19 lately, other people would possibly wonder if they are waiting for new vaccines or if they are taking more protective measures immediately.
For Chin-Hong, the answer is pretty simple: “Have you been approved for the vaccine in the fall of 2023? If not, would you go ahead and get it, especially if you’re over 65 and immunocompromised,” he says. Ages 65 and older will also be able to get another vaccine if it has been 4 months since the last one. This will give you the opportunity to get the new flu vaccine in October or November.
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Treatments such as nirmatrelvir, ritonavir (Paxlovid), and remdesivir (Veklury) have also been shown to be effective in preventing a serious infection.
“Fortunately, hospitals were not hit as in previous years, which is a testament to the collective immunity of the population,” Chin-Hong said. “However, other people are at risk of becoming seriously ill — basically other people over the age of 75. age or those who are highly immunocompromised and have not received the newer vaccine or have not received Paxlovid or remdesivir in case of infection. “
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Chin-Hong says he’s seeing fewer symptoms that weren’t unusual in 2020, such as shortness of breath and loss of taste and smell, and that some other people are experiencing nausea and diarrhea — symptoms they wouldn’t possibly realize could be similar to COVID. -19.
Since the symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to those of allergies (such as hay fever) or colds, doctors warn that the only way to be safe is to get checked for COVID, especially if you’re vulnerable to severe infection (e. g. ej. si are older or immunocompromised) and need to avoid serious illness with a course of Paxlovid. It is also worth checking if you are spending time with a high-risk user that you may infect.
Anecdotally, some other people on social media are reporting on some unpleasant effects of the virus circulating lately. A CNBC commentator recently wrote on X:
“He tested positive for COVID a few days ago. The first 3 days of symptoms were worse than 2 years ago. A deep, persistent sore throat between them. Thank goodness for Paxlovid. It seems fonctionner. Masquez-vous. La new variant turns out We will be doing a small summer increase.
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