June 27, 2024 – Like clockwork, the summer resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic has change into as anticipated because the changing of the seasons.
Emergency rooms are currently seeing a 15% increase in treatment of individuals infected with COVID, and hospitalizations for severe cases have increased by 25%. Signs of the virus that causes COVID have been present in the United States. Wastewater are also showing an upward trend and reflect a curve that we already observed last summer.
The highest reported rates of positive COVID tests are within the region that features California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii, where 10% or more of tests are coming back positive. In the remainder of the U.S., the positivity rate is below 10%, and in many of the southeastern U.S. and along the coast as far south as Pennsylvania, fewer than 5% of tests are positive.
While the numbers are small in comparison with previous summer COVID waves, the rise continues to be large enough to represent a major increased risk.
Most U.S. states are reporting weekly COVID deaths, however the numbers have dropped dramatically from the hundreds per week at first of the pandemic. For the week ending June 15, every U.S. state reported fewer than 10 deaths resulting from COVID.
But the disease still poses a serious threat to health, and Research continues to indicate that it’s more dangerous than the flu. In addition to an up-to-date vaccination schedule, the CDC recommends practicing good hygiene, corresponding to thorough hand washing, and staying home and away from others if you’ve symptoms of respiratory illness. Wearing a mask continues to be a superb prevention strategy, says the CDC.
Certain groups of individuals, corresponding to the elderly or those with weakened immune systems, are at particular risk of severe and potentially life-threatening cases of COVID. That's why knowing if you’ve COVID and staying home is very important to stop probably the most vulnerable from getting sick, says a COVID expert. Andy Pekosz, PhDfrom the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Home tests can have longer expiration dates that differ from those printed on the packaging. Read this FDA database to see if a test can still be used.