What could be causing those debilitating feelings of muscle pain and congestion?
While you may want to rule out the possibility of COVID-19, don’t do so.
of Thirty-nine states are seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Including Florida.
Nationwide, the test positivity rate has risen to about 7% from 5% the previous week, and hospital emergency room visits for COVID infections are increasing nationwide, according to the CDC.
The collected data is State Department of Health And what health experts are seeing shows that infections are gradually increasing.
Experts say there’s nothing to worry about right now, but that could change as the summer progresses.
both Lee Health and NCHTwo hospital systems in Southwest Florida are seeing rising numbers of cases.
Lee, what are Collier County hospitals saying?
“Like many health care delivery systems across the nation, Lee Health System facilities are experiencing a small but noticeable increase in the number of COVID-positive patients seeking care,” Dr. Ian Gonsenhauser, chief medical officer for Lee County Public Hospital, said in an email.
At NCH, a private, nonprofit system in Collier County, intensive care director Christopher Raphael said they’ve seen a slight increase this spring and that the trend may continue into the summer.
He said COVID cases made up 36% of test-confirmed cases at NCH in May, up from 28% in April.
What do Florida’s COVID numbers show?
The state health department resumed weekly case reporting earlier this year.
The statewide number of cases for the week of June 14 was 8,927, up from 6,568 for the same week in 2023.
Lee County had 392 cases and Collier had 210. These numbers are double what they were a year ago, when there were 259 cases in Lee County and 92 in Collier County for the week ending June 16, 2023.
Florida has had 195,793 confirmed cases so far this year. The total number of confirmed cases through June of last year is unknown. Last year, the state had 583,014 confirmed cases.
What about new COVID variants and vaccinations?
New variants of the virus continue to emerge, with the CDC reporting that the KP.3 strain accounts for 33% of cases nationwide, followed by the KP.2 strain at about 21%. Another strain, LB.1, accounts for about 18% of cases.
The reason cases are rising in Florida could be linked to a number of factors, Lee Health’s Gonsenhauser said.
“COVID-19 has historically tended to surge in the summer months, likely due to increased travel and people spending more time indoors to avoid the heat,” he said.
“Also, vaccination follow-up rates have slowed significantly and the newest strains, KP.2, KP.3 and LB.1, have proven to spread more easily than earlier dominant strains,” he added.
Raphael, NCH’s director of intensive care, agreed that the trend toward travel and people spending more time around others during the spring and summer helps explain the rise in infections.
What is your latest vaccination status?
As for whether Americans are continuing to get extra doses of the COVID vaccine, the numbers suggest that’s not the case.
The CDC reported that as of mid-May, 23% of adults nationwide had received their updated vaccination coverage since September. About 42% of adults age 75 and older have remained vaccinated.
About 14% of children between 6 months and 17 years old are up to date on COVID vaccines.
On a positive note, Gonsenhauser said the three most recent variants have not been shown to cause more severe infections.
Symptoms include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and difficulty breathing. Some people may also experience a loss of taste or smell, brain “fog” and stomach upset.
How can I make sure my vaccinations are up to date?
On June 27, the CDC released an update on COVID vaccinations this fall and winter.
It is recommended that everyone aged 6 months or older be up to date on their vaccinations, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated previously.
The CDC points out that the virus that causes COVID-19 is constantly changing, and the protection provided by the vaccines will decrease over time.
“Vaccination with the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines can help restore and strengthen protection against the viral variants currently causing the majority of infections and hospitalizations in the United States,” the CDC said.
