How to stay healthy during the COVID-19 summertime surge

“This is an endemic microorganism that really can’t beryllium avoided if you’re going to beryllium interacting pinch humans,” says Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases expert and elder clever clever astatine nan Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

COVID-19 has gotten little terrible acknowledgment to immunity from vaccines and anterior infections and to treatments for nan virus, Adalja says. Unlike erstwhile summertime waves, this 1 isn’t overwhelming hospitals.

Wastewater surveillance information — 1 of nan only ways to gauge dispersed of nan microorganism — bespeak that viral variants are surging crossed nan United States, particularly successful occidental states and successful places that had mild wintertime seasons. And nan variants circulating now are “incredibly infectious,” Schaffner says.

Summer surge

High aliases very precocious levels of SARS-CoV-2, nan microorganism that causes COVID-19, person been recovered successful wastewater successful astir half of U.S. states, particularly successful occidental states.

Levels of SARS-CoV-2 successful wastewater arsenic of July 11, 2024, by state

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One version connected nan emergence is simply a great-great-great-grandchild of omicron called KP.3.1.1. Like different omicron offspring, it has aggregate mutations successful nan spike protein, including 1 that helps it evade antibodies produced aft an infection pinch caller variants aliases immunization pinch 1 of past fall’s type of nan vaccines, researchers study July 17 successful a preprint posted to bioRxiv.org.

The rising tide of infections is apt to past into August, Schaffner says, but location are things group tin do to debar getting sick.

How to debar getting COVID-19

Tend to your immunity by getting vaccinated against nan coronavirus, Schaffner advises. That’s particularly important for older group and group pinch aesculapian conditions specified arsenic glucosuria that put them astatine higher consequence for terrible disease. An estimated 6.6 percent of adults successful nan United States are immunocompromised, researchers reported successful JAMA successful February. Those group are particularly vulnerable, Schaffner says.

Older group for illustration President Joe Biden, seen present leaving Air Force One connected July 17 to isolate astatine his location successful Delaware aft testing affirmative for COVID-19, are astatine higher consequence for terrible disease. The president is reportedly taking Paxlovid and has mild symptoms.Susan Walsh/AP Photo

Immunity from past year’s vaccination has astir apt waned. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opportunity that high-risk people, particularly group 65 and older, should see getting vaccinated now and past get updated vaccines successful nan fall. Vaccines are bully for preventing terrible illness and hospitalization, but nan existent ones aren’t effective for blocking infection, Adalja says. Vaccination besides tin help forestall agelong COVID (SN: 7/17/24).

You tin besides deterioration an N-95 aliases KN-95 mask. “And you person to put them connected correctly,” Schaffner says. “Wearing them beneath nan chemoreceptor aliases connected your forehead … doesn’t thief astatine all.”

People successful high-risk groups, specified arsenic those who are immunocompromised, tin get a monoclonal antibody called Pemgarda to thief protect against infection, Adalja says.

What to do if you get sick

If you’re sick now, return a trial to spot if it’s COVID-19, but don’t beryllium excessively speedy to disregard nan anticipation if nan consequence is negative. A antagonistic trial could mean nan immune strategy is keeping nan coronavirus successful cheque aliases that you’ve travel down pinch a different illness, Adalja says. A 2nd at-home trial aliases a PCR trial astatine a doctor’s agency whitethorn springiness a clearer answer.

Isolate yourself until you’re emotion amended and don’t person a fever for astatine slightest 24 hours, nan CDC advised successful updated guidelines released successful March. That goes for immoderate respiratory illness. Some group pinch COVID-19 ne'er create fevers truthful they request to usage bully judgement to determine erstwhile they tin spell retired safely, Schaffner says. The CDC advises exercising be aware for astatine slightest 5 days aft symptoms amended and wearing a disguise erstwhile interacting pinch others.

Good judgement besides helps here, Schaffner says. Think astir who you’ll spot and really agelong you’ll beryllium successful an enclosed abstraction pinch them. Maybe postpone nan sojourn to grandma successful nan nursing location and nan hours-long poker crippled and return a locomotion extracurricular instead, he says.

People successful high-risk groups mightiness use from taking antiviral narcotics specified arsenic Paxlovid aliases molnupiravir. Paxlovid shaves only 1 time off nan long of unwellness for vaccinated people, a consequence that isn’t statistically meaningful, researchers reported April 4 successful nan New England Journal of Medicine. Some studies propose Paxlovid whitethorn help forestall agelong COVID, but others person recovered that it doesn’t help (SN: 3/31/23).

COVID-19 is not going away, Adalja says. There will ever beryllium caller variants causing caller rounds of infection, but “medicine and subject person fixed america tremendous amounts of devices to woody pinch this virus, much than for immoderate different respiratory virus.”