It’s winter, that delightful season that brings crackling fireplaces, indoor gatherings, and a wave of respiratory illnesses. Nearly four years after the pandemic began, other people are getting more and more tired of dealing with it, but the virus isn’t done with us. .
Nationally, a sharp increase in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) began in mid-December and appears to be gaining momentum.
Here are a few things to know this time around:
The COVID virus is continuously evolving and a recent edition is climbing positions in the ranking. Although it didn’t emerge until September, the variant known as JN. 1, a descendant of omicron, is spreading and accounts for between 39% and some of cases. , according to pre-holiday statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Laboratory knowledge indicates that updated vaccines, as well as immediate COVID testing and existing medical treatments, are effective with this new version. Another piece of good news is that it “does not appear to pose any more public health hazards beyond those of other recent variants,” according to the CDC. Despite this, new COVID-related hospitalizations (34,798 during the week ending Dec. 30) are on an upward trend, rates still particularly lower than last December’s tally. But it’s the start of the season. Levels of the virus in wastewater, an indicator of how infections are spreading, are “very high,” surpassing levels seen at the same time last year.
And don’t forget, other nasty bugs are going around. More than 20,000 people were hospitalized for influenza the week ending Dec. 30, and the CDC reports that RSV remains elevated in many areas.
“So far, the numbers aren’t going in a very smart direction,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, St. John’s Veterans Affairs studies and progression leader. Louis and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis. Louis. ” We’re probably going to see a big uptick in January, now that everyone is back from vacation. “
It’s true that, compared to the first COVID winter, things are better now. Far fewer people die or become seriously ill, as vaccines and past infections confer some immunity and reduce the severity of the disease. Even compared to last winter, when omicron was in full swing, the situation is greater. New hospitalizations, for example, account for about one-third of what the 2022 holidays were. Weekly deaths declined in the last week of December, to 839, and are also particularly below yearly degrees. behind.
“The ratio between mild and severe illness has obviously changed,” said William Schaffner, a professor of medicine in the department of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
Still, the definition of “mild” is broad and necessarily refers to anything that is not in poor enough health to be hospitalized.
While some patients may have no more than the sniffles, others experiencing “mild” COVID can be “miserable for three to five days,” Schaffner said.
“Am I going to get sick? Do I have to wear a mask again?” It’s vital to know the basics.
For starters, the symptoms of the COVID variants circulating lately will most likely be familiar to you, such as a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fatigue, fever, and muscle aches.
So if you’re feeling sick, stay home, said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. “It can make a big difference. “
Dust off those at-home COVID test kits, check the extended expiration dates on the FDA website, and throw away the ones that have aged out. Tests can be bought at most pharmacies and, if you haven’t ordered yours yet, free test kits are still available through a federal program at COVID.gov.
Get tested more than once, especially if your symptoms are mild. Immediate at-home tests would likely not detect a COVID infection in the first few days, according to the FDA, which recommends “multiple tests over a period of time, such as two to 3 days. “
Along with the three viruses, those most at risk are the very young, the elderly, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems or who have underlying medical conditions, in addition to cancer or heart problems. But those who don’t have the highest risk points can also be affected.
While mask-wearing has dropped in most places, you may start to see more people wearing them in public spaces, including stores, public transit, or entertainment venues.
While a federal mask mandate is unlikely, fitness officials and hospitals in at least four states — California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York — have again asked patients to wear masks. These needs were alleviated last year when the public fitness emergency officially ended.
Such policies are advanced through county-level directives. The CDC data indicates that, nationally, about 46.7% of counties are seeing moderate to high hospital admission rates of COVID.
“We’re not going to see blanket mask mandates because our population may not find it acceptable,” Schaffner said. “That said, on an individual basis, wearing a mask is a very wise and moderate thing to do as an additional measure. “layer of protection. “
N95, KN95 and KF94 masks are the most protective. Fabric and paper are equally effective.
And lastly, if you haven’t been vaccinated with the updated COVID vaccine yet, or if you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, it’s not too late. There are also new vaccines and monoclonal antibodies to protect against RSV in certain populations, including older adults, pregnant women, and young children.
Generally, flu peaks in midwinter and runs into spring. COVID, while not technically seasonal, has higher rates in winter as people crowd together indoors.
“If you’ve won the vaccines,” Schaffner said, “we urge you to get them and delay them. “
People who have completely avoided COVID are in the minority.
At the same time, repeated infections are common. Fifteen of those surveyed in a recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll said they had had COVID two or three times. A Canadian survey released in December found that one in five citizens reported contracting COVID more than once the last time. June.
In addition to being physically unfit and missing paintings or school for days, there is still debate about whether repeated infections pose a greater or lesser threat of serious fitness effects. There are no definitive answers, experts are still reading the topic.
Two research efforts suggest repeat infections may increase a person’s chances of developing serious illness or even long COVID — which is defined various ways but generally means having one or more effects lingering for a month or more following infection. The precise percentage of cases — and underlying factors — of long COVID and why people get it are among the many unanswered questions about the condition. However, there is a growing consensus among researchers that vaccination is protective.
Still, the VA’s Al-Aly said a study he co-authored that was published in November 2022 found that getting COVID more than once raises an “additional risk of problems in the acute phase, be it hospitalization or even dying,” and makes a person two times as likely to experience long COVID symptoms.
The Canadian survey also found an increased risk of long COVID in those who reported two or more infections. Both studies have their limitations: A maximum of 6 million people in the VA database were men and older, and the data studied here from the first two years of the pandemic, so some reflected ailments that predated the availability of vaccines. The most recent Canadian survey was based on proprietary reports of infections and conditions, which may not be accurate.
Still, Al-Aly and other experts say taking preventive measures, such as getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in higher-risk situations, can protect your bets.
“Even if in a past infection you dodged the bullet of long COVID,” Al-Aly said, “that doesn’t mean dodging the bullet each and every time. “
KFF Health News, formerly known as Kaiser Health News (KHN), is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism on fitness issues and is one of KFF’s primary operating systems: journalism, polls, and independent fitness policy research.