As COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths surged in late summer, some schools, hospitals and other businesses scrambled to contain the spread of the disease.
of Reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Between August 13 and August 19, the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 increased by 18.8%, marking the sixth consecutive week of hospitalization increases. From August 20th to August 26th, the number of deaths due to the new coronavirus increased by 17.6%. Still, hospitalizations remain in the CDC’s “low” category in most regions, not as high as they have been in years past.
Experts say the current circulating variant does not necessarily cause more severe acute infections than previous variants, but the risk of long-term effects from the new coronavirus still exists. . A new vaccine booster aimed at mutant strains is expected to go on sale in mid-September.
Rising hospitalizations and deaths may be due to weakened immunity in the general population from previous vaccines and infectious diseases, as well as human behaviors such as the start of school and summer travel, Houston said. – Dr. S. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Methodist University, said. he told USA TODAY. Protective measures that have been eased over the past year, such as wearing masks and testing, are also having an impact.
Here’s what you need to know about the current rising number of cases.
What do we know about the current variant prevalence?
Variants of the original omicron variant, such as XBB lineage and EG.5, are still mostly found in circulation.
A new highly mutated variant, BA.2.86, which has been found in several countries and states, was first discovered in Texas, Long said. However, it is difficult to say how prevalent BA.2.86 is, as the monitoring techniques used to identify which variants are in circulation have been terminated in many places.
“There’s probably more out there than we think,” he says.
It is of interest to scientists mainly because of how many mutations it has and how it differs from prevalent strains.
“The reason BA.2.86 is concerning is that it’s like a mashup or remix of early Omicron with a bunch of new spike mutations,” Long said. “[Mutations]may be more likely to circumvent some of the inherent immunity to coronaviruses from infectious diseases and vaccines.”
what do schools and hospitals do?
School districts in Kansas and Texas canceled in-person learning at several locations last week as attendance was significantly reduced to prevent further spread of the coronavirus and other illnesses among faculty and students.
Morris Brown University in Atlanta has introduced a temporary mask-wearing requirement on campus due to the coronavirus outbreak, WANF reported. atlanta newsfast report.
Kaiser Permanente Northern California also reinstated mask-wearing requirements for staff at its Santa Rosa facility and encouraged visitors to wear masks as well. According to NBC Bay Area. Other New York state hospitals have taken similar steps.
How common is COVID-19?
According to Dr. Eric Topol, Founder and Executive Vice President of Scripps Research, how common is the impact of past COVID-19 pandemics on people, continuing and sometimes very severe? It is difficult to know exactly what the target is. COVID.
Topol told USA TODAY that the number of people affected by the long-term novel coronavirus could exceed 10 million people in the United States. Symptoms can vary in severity and can include persistent fatigue, “brain fog,” heart problems and neurological symptoms, he said.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said: Said Earlier this year, it announced that about 1 in 10 people infected could develop post-COVID-19 symptoms, “suggesting that hundreds of millions of people will need long-term care.” did.
Topol said that while people with underlying medical conditions and the elderly remain at high risk for severe outcomes from acute infection, everyone is at risk of long-term COVID-19, regardless of age or previous health conditions. said to exist. Topol said Covid-19 is less likely to linger if infected people use available treatments, such as paxlovid, and stay up to date with vaccines and boosters.
But the only surefire way to prevent it, experts say, is to prevent COVID-19 infection.
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How to protect yourself from infection
CDC director Mandy Cohen said this week that the measures could include up to: 10,000 hospitalizations per week due to COVID-19and the majority of them are people over the age of 65.
The good news, Long said, is that all the same protective measures that have existed since the early days of the pandemic still work today to avoid infection. They include:
- Wear a good quality, tight-fitting mask
- Avoid crowds and sick people
- Test for COVID-19 and stay home if positive or sick
- Get the latest information on boosters, including those released this fall
Long said most people have resumed high-risk behaviors, such as going to work or school despite having symptoms of the disease, but now that infections are on the rise again due to weakened immune systems. He said it was especially important to stay home.
