According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emergency department visits associated with COVID-19 have been trending up for weeks. Most recent data show that emergency visits related to COVID-19 for the week ending July 6 increased 23.5% over the week prior. CDC also reports that the viral activity level due to COVID-19 in wastewater is high nationally as of July 6.
These days, the US has a summer season. COVID-19’s summer spread has become a considerable topic. Do we have to worry about COVID-19 again?
“The virus replicates well and stays alive in warm and moist environments. That fits with what we’re seeing,” said Dr. Robert Hopkins, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. “The South and the West are steamy and hot right now.”
“I think it’s still a bit early to say what the pattern is,” Dr. Robert Hopkins said. “A large portion of the population has had some exposure to the virus, the peaks have been a little bit less high, and we have tended to see a summer bump as well as a winter increase. But whether that pattern is going to continue, whether it will become an all-year-round disease, or whether it will stay in one particular time. I think it’s a little early to say.”
The US is currently experiencing a summer wave of COVID-19 infections. This pattern of multiple yearly infection waves, including a summer peak, has been consistent since the pandemic began. Travel and indoor gatherings during the summer season can contribute to the increase in COVID-19.
President Joe Biden also tested positive for COVID-19 at a pivotal moment in the reelection campaign. Doctors advise people to wear an N95 or equivalent mask when gathering and to dine outdoors rather than indoors when possible.
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