The U.S. is currently experiencing the biggest COVID-19 surge in at least two years, and certainly the highest ever summer surge, based on wastewater data. “This is a very large surge that we are seeing currently. This is starting to rival, really, what we saw this past winter,” Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, tells the Los Angeles Times. The FLiRT subvariants are behind the spike, with KP.3.1.1 in particular proving to be super-infectious. “It’s this confluence of a much more infectious variant on top of folks’ overall immunity having waned — either from natural or vaccine-induced immunity,” Dr. Hudson says. “It’s just kind of come [as] a perfect storm.” Here are 7 things to know about the new surge, according to experts.
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Fewer Hospitalizations
iStockWhile cases are surging, experts caution against panic—while certain populations are still at risk, the virus is not causing people to end up in hospital as with the beginning of the pandemic. “Our definition of a wave has changed; while we still see case rates rise and fall throughout the year, we see much lower numbers of cases of hospitalizations or deaths than we saw in the first couple years of the pandemic,”Andy Pekosz, PhD, professor in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, tells Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “And yet, while these waves are becoming smaller, they are still having the greatest impact on our susceptible populations: the elderly, people who are immunocompromised and those with other secondary medical conditions. Everyone can play a role in protecting those populations that remain the highest-risk when new variants cause an uptick in cases.”
Better Immune Response
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Dr. Pekosz says the virus isn’t exactly milder—people are just better equipped to fight off the virus now. “After years of vaccinations and infections, most of the population is better able to fight off an infection without as much concern for severe disease,” he says. “The period of infectiousness for these FLiRT variants remains the same as with JN.1 and previous omicron variants: After exposure, it may take five or more days before you develop symptoms, though symptoms may appear sooner. You are contagious one to two days before you experience symptoms and a few days after symptoms subside.”
Wastewater Data
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As people aren’t testing with the frequency they did in the early days of the pandemic, authorities such as the CDC are relying on wastewater data to keep track of surges. “Currently, the COVID-19 wastewater viral activity level is very high nationally, with the highest levels in the Western US region,” Dr. Jonathan Yoder, deputy director of the CDC’s Wastewater Surveillance Program, told CNN. “This year’s COVID-19 wave is coming earlier than last year, which occurred in late August/early September.”
COVID Symptoms
Shutterstock“Symptoms and the duration of illness from COVID FLiRT infection are similar to earlier strains of the virus,” Todd Ellerin, MD, Director of Infectious Disease, tells South Shore Health. “Common symptoms include fatigue, fever, body aches, chills, congestion, cough, runny nose, sore throat, headache, loss of taste and/or smell. Some people may also experience gastrointestinal symptoms. Fortunately, Paxlovid and other antiviral medications recommended for high-risk individuals, are just as effective in treating these new variants.”
No Sign of Decline
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Experts are not sure when the current surge will peak and start to decline. “Here in Houston, Texas, wastewater numbers are still high and not declining,” Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease expert who is director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital, tells CNN. “They have reached a plateau at a high level for several weeks.”
Vaccination Schedule
ShutterstockWhen you were last vaccinated may impact how well your body fights off the new variants, experts say. "With this latest round of variants, this FLiRT variant, the antibodies that you have from past vaccination may not bind and neutralize the virus as well,” says Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. “If you've been infected or vaccinated in the past three to four months, you’re probably going to have antibodies that are going to recognize these newer viruses effectively. And it will help you keep from getting really sick and may even help prevent you from coming down with any symptoms. If you were infected or vaccinated more than six months ago, you may not have as good of protection, and you may come down with a subsequent infection with the typical symptoms of COVID.”
How To Stay Safe
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Experts recommend the same methods of risk-prevention as before to avoid getting the virus or spreading it: Good hygiene, mask-wearing when necessary, and staying up to date with vaccines. “COVID-19 isn’t going away,” Dr Ellerin says. “We’ve seen it continue to mutate and persist. And it has become bi-seasonal – we’re seeing summer and winter peaks each year. But as we head into our 5th fall season living with the virus, we are well equipped to reduce the risk of infection and prevent severe illness by getting the updated COVID-19 vaccine. For most people, as with the flu shot, one COVID-19 vaccine annually in the fall is enough. Higher risk groups, including people who are over age 65 or immunocompromised, should get two shots per year – one in the fall and another in the spring. We’ve come so far and made tremendous progress since COVID arrived four years and four months ago.”
