COVID-19 Cases Continue to Rise Across America As New Variants Drive Surge In Infections.
“We are knee-deep in a substantial COVID-19 infection wave.”
That’s the stark warning from Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, from a recent post on her widely read Substack newsletter, Your Local Epidemiologist.
“Thankfully, immunity keeps our hospitals from overflowing at this point, but severe disease trends continue to mirror infections,” Jetelina wrote in her August 6 column.
Although some areas of the US are seeing infections level off and even show slight declines, virus levels overall remain high.
According to the latest model released by the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative (PMC) over 1.3 million Americans are now being infected with COVID-19 each day Currently, 1 in 38 Americans are infected with COVID-19, the report said.
In the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all COVID-19 indicators show increased activity through the week ending August 17 across the United States. This trend has been going on for several months now in all regions of the country.
- Test positivity nationally is 18%, the same from the previous week, but up from 16.3% in July. Levels are highest in Texas and surrounding states, with an average of 22.3%, down 2.4% from July.
- Emergency department visits for COVID-19 make up only 2.5% of visits, and remained steady from the previous week. The highest levels—all in the moderate range— were Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
- Hospitalization levels rose to 4.4 per 100,000 population, up from 4.1 the week before, but they remain elevated in seniors.
- COVID fatalities remained steady, accounting for 1.8% of all deaths. However, that’s a 25% increase compared to July.
Matching these data points is the increasing amount of the virus found in wastewater, which continued to rise nationally through mid-August. Monitoring wastewater has become a reliable tool for experts to get a handle on COVID levels regionally and nationally. According to the CDC’s wastewater dashboard, the viral activity for COVID-19 in wastewater is currently “very high.” In fact, it’s the highest its been since July, 2022.
“It’s a major wave now,” said Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, who writes a Substack newsletter called Ground Truths. “The slope of rise of SARS-CoV-2 levels is still steep, so we haven’t yet reached the plateau. It’s already towered beyond 4 prior waves of the US pandemic.”
COVID Summer Surge is Affecting Countries Worldwide
COVID infections are not only rising in the US. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 84 countries have reported that the percent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising over several weeks.
At least 40 athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris tested positive for COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses, the W.H.O. added in a statement on July 7. American sprinter Noah Lyles, who won gold in the 100 meters, was favored to take gold in the 200 meters. After he took a surprising bronze, he revealed that he had contracted COVID two days earlier.
The upward summer trend reflects a similar surge in COVID infections in past summers. This time, however, health professionals say there is a big difference. According to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), the latest variants appear to be able to more easily evade people’s defenses. This is due in part to a change in the new variant, and also people’s waning immunity from earlier infections, as well as a downward trend in vaccination.
KP.3.1.1 Takes Hold
According to the CDC, KP.3.1.1 continues its months-long march in becoming the most dominant variant throughout the United States.
“For the two-week period ending August 17, KP.3.1.1 is predicted to account for between 31% and 43% of COVID-19 clinical specimens, compared to between 20% and 26% for the two-week period ending August 3,” the CDC said in its latest update.
KP.3.1.1, along with its predecessor KP.3, is a descendant of Omicron’s JN.1 variant that caused a major wave in the US last winter. The variant results in similar symptoms, but a slight mutation in its spike protein makes this version significantly more infectious.
KP.3.1.1 presents "more of a challenge to our immune response than KP.3 and prior variants," Topol said. "Buckle up; this wave isn't over yet [due to] KP.3.1.1's emergence."
Experts Urge the Public to Get Vaccinated, Stay Vigilant
With the school year fast approaching, and much of the public seemingly having forgotten that COVID is still a serious virus, health professionals are urging Americans to be proactive. First on everyone’s list, they say, is to update your vaccination status.
The CDC said in a statement: “The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is always changing and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. Receiving an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine can restore and enhance protection against the virus variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States. COVID-19 vaccination also reduces the chance of suffering the effects of Long COVID, which can develop during or following acute infection and last for an extended duration.”
"What we're seeing is about 60% additional protection among those that get the vaccine compared to people that don't get the vaccine," Jetelina told a local CBS station in Tyler, Texas.
While KP.3.1.1 appears to be highly infectious and better able to evade immunity, it does not appear to be causing severe infections. However, that doesn’t mean the public at large should let their defenses down. Those that need to take extra precautions include the elderly and those who are immunocompromised. These measures include avoiding large crowds, masking in public, and of course, making sure vaccination is up to date.
As COVID continues to evolve, the CDC maintains that anyone over six months of age should get vaccinated.
FDA Approves Updated COVID vaccines
On August 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two newly updated COVID vaccines. Americans can expect to see these vaccines become available towards the end of August and early September.
Approval was given to the updated vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. An updated vaccine from Novavax is expected to be approved in the coming weeks.
These latest vaccines do not target the newly dominant variant KP.3.1.1. Instead, they were designed to tackle the previous strain, KP.2, which was prevalent when the drug companies began formulating their new shots.
This doesn’t mean, however, that the new COVID vaccines won’t be effective. The latest strains are all related and scientists say that the new vaccines should provide plenty of protection against infection, serious illness, and death.
According to NBC News, a representative from Pfizer stated in an interview that data the company submitted to the FDA “shows that its vaccine generates a ‘substantially improved’ immune response against multiple currently circulating variants, including KP.3, compared to earlier versions of the vaccine.”
Updated COVID vaccines will be rolled out nationally in the coming days and be available at doctors offices and pharmacies. Walgreens is already taking appointments for vaccinations starting on September 6.
If you have insurance, the vaccine cost most likely will be covered free of charge. For those paying out of pocket, a vaccine price list is available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The CDC reports that it is safe to receive the COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same time. Experts recommend getting both vaccines before the end of October.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
Some typical symptoms of the latest COVID variants, KP.3 and KP.3.1.1 include: fever or chills, cough, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, headache, muscle aches, difficulty breathing, fatigue, new loss of taste or smell, "brain fog" (feeling less wakeful and aware), gastrointestinal symptoms (upset stomach, mild diarrhea, vomiting), and persistent pain in the chest.
What to do if you think you have COVID-19 (Courtesy of Penn Medicine)
- Most people with COVID-19 have only mild symptoms and can recover at home. If you have COVID-19, you should stay home except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas or use public transportation.
- If you have a severe illness from COVID-19, including difficulty breathing, call 911 or visit the nearest emergency room as soon as possible.
- If you have COVID-19 symptoms, get tested for the virus, either at a laboratory or with an at-home test.
- While waiting for your results from a lab test, you should act as if you have COVID-19. Stay away from others, track your symptoms and rest. If you must be near others, such as those in your household, wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth.
- If you test positive for COVID-19, you should inform your health care provider as well as anyone with whom you were recently in close contact. You also should stay at home for at least 5 days from the onset of symptoms, regardless of your vaccination status.
*Here at Tayo we aim to offer the latest and best advice regarding COVID-19 and other common respiratory illnesses. The guidelines and suggestions listed here are based upon the recommendations of the CDC and other health care professionals. However, this advice may not suit each individual circumstance and is just meant to provide general guidelines. We encourage you to consult with your healthcare provider to get the answers that best suit you and your family’s individual needs.