Infectious disease experts share what’s different about this latest wave and what to know about the new variants.
We dont typically associate hot weather with viral illnesses, but COVID has thwarted that in recent years.
The culprit: the FLiRT variants.
This family of variants, which evolved from omicron, took off inthe spring.
Now, they account for over 50% of infections.
I suspect its going to increase, Hopkins told HuffPost.
It seems like were seeing more and more states showing increased levels of activity.
Heres what to know about the summer COVID spike:
Whats up with the new FLiRT variants?
The FLiRT variants are offshoots ofJN.1, which was the dominant variant in the U.S. this past winter.
Its currently responsible for roughly25%of cases.
The increase in cases also doesnt appear to be causing an uptick in hospitalizations.
Theres no evidence theyre more severe than what weve been dealing with, Hopkins said.
What concerns experts about this wave of infections?
What does alarm him, however, is how early were seeing the summer wave kick off this year.
It doesnt help that its likely been a while since many people were last vaccinated.
This dip in immunity, combined with the FLiRT variants advantageous mutations, could be fueling the spread.
Its known, after all, thatsocial gatheringsare a huge source of disease transmission.
Is now a good time to get a booster shot?
In general, health experts recommend spacing doses out by at leastfour months.
The same goes for people who are immunocompromised and havent had a shot in the past two months.
Heres what to do if you get COVID this summer.
If you contract COVID, its a good idea to first test yourself at home withan antigen test.
Older adults, people who are immunocompromised and those with chronic illnesses face a higher risk ofsevere disease.
Hopkins advised anyone in these groups to contact a health care provider as soon as they feel sick.
There are effective oralantiviralsPaxlovidand molnupiravir that can shorten the duration of your illness and reduce the severity of it.
But heres the kicker: They work best when given within five days after symptoms appear.
As for otherwise healthy individuals who test positive, the same tried-and-true measures still work well.
Finally,keep a distancefrom other people for five days or until your symptoms are improving.
If you do go out, the CDC recommendsmasking upuntil the 11th day of your sickness.
