COVID-19 hasn鈥檛 gone away, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests it鈥檚 on the upswing around the country.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen these summer increases every summer that COVID-19 has been with us,鈥� said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Johns Hopkins University infectious disease physician. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 different about these cases this summer vs. prior summers is that they don鈥檛 translate into hospitals in crisis.鈥�
Adalja said factors in the seasonal increase could be increased travel, people staying indoors to avoid summer heat and the virus鈥� continued evolution 鈥� which could help it get around people鈥檚 immunity.
Testing for COVID-19 is sporadic and the true number of cases isn鈥檛 clear because many infections aren鈥檛 reported. But one way to spot trends is to see what percentage of lab tests come back positive. By that metric, COVID-19 is surging, with nearly 15% of tests coming back positive vs. less than 1% for flu.
Nevertheless, doctors鈥� offices aren鈥檛 seeing an outsized share of people with symptoms of respiratory illness. The proportion of doctor visits for flu-like symptoms remains low.
And COVID-19-related hospitalizations are rising, but they remain below the levels seen in winter 鈥� and far below the peaks seen earlier in the pandemic.
The CDC also tries to monitor the spread of the coronavirus by looking for it in sewage and other wastewater at participating sites across the country.
鈥� from the beginning of August 鈥� shows the highest levels since January. Detections were highest in the West and South, and lowest in the Northeast. The agency labels national wastewater viral activity level as 鈥渧ery high.鈥�
Experts say to treat the data with caution because it has limitations.
鈥淵ou just know it means there鈥檚 a lot of virus out there,鈥� said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Brown University pandemic researcher. 鈥淏ut you don鈥檛 know how many people, how many infections that translates to.鈥�
Nevertheless, the wastewater data shows 鈥渢here鈥檚 a whole lot of COVID out there,鈥� she added.
Adalja suggested staying up to date on your vaccinations and that people at higher risk of a serious illness consider wearing masks in crowded, indoor congregated areas.
If you do get sick, note that staying away from other people until your symptoms are improving and you鈥檝e been fever-free for 24 hours.
COVID-19 is now 鈥渂asically part of the human condition,鈥� Adalja said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unavoidable when you interact with humans.鈥�
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AP journalists Nicky Forster, Laura Bargfeld, Mike Stobbe and Jonathan Poet contributed to this report.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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