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Life has a funny way of giving you a kick in the pants when things are going great. Summer has been cruising along and there are still a few weeks left to soak it all up. Unfortunately, that’s also coinciding with a summer COVID-19 surge.
Right now, pretty much all of the metrics the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses to keep tabs on COVID-19 are through the roof—hospitalizations, emergency room visits, percentage of positive tests, and, unfortunately, deaths due to the virus. Fueling all of this are the FLiRT variants, including KP.3.1.1, KP.3, and LB.1.
People across the country are getting sick, raising a lot of questions about what’s happening now and, of course, what you can do to stay safe. Here’s what experts are saying.
Meet the expert: Thomas Russo, MD, is a professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.
What is the most common COVID variant right now?
The most common COVID variant right now is KP.3.1.1, according to data from the CDC. It makes up nearly 28 percent of COVID-19 cases in the country. That’s followed by KP.3 and LB.1.
What is the most common COVID symptom right now?
Given that COVID-19 impacts everyone a little differently, it’s tough to narrow things down to just one symptom, says Thomas Russo, MD, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.
“However, for most people that are younger and not in the high risk category, it’s really been respiratory tract symptoms,” he says.
What are the symptoms for the newer COVID variants?
COVID-19 symptoms have become pretty consistent. According to the CDC, those usually include:
“Most people will have a sore throat, runny nose, a sense of fatigue, and not feeling like your usual self,” Russo says. “It’s not uncommon for people to have a day or two of fever and a flu-like syndrome.”
If you’ve never been vaccinated or managed to dodge COVID-19 so far, Russo says that you may have a “rockier course and feel miserable for a few days.” If you’re in a high-risk category, though, you may develop more severe symptoms.
Is there a summer COVID surge?
Yep, we’re in it. “There’s been a surge that’s been going on for a while,” Russo says. “Almost everyone you talk to has had COVID at this point.”
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This isn’t just a U.S. thing: COVID-19 has been surging around the world, Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for COVID the World Health Organization, said in a briefing last week.
While over 20 percent of European COVID-19 tests come back positive, Van Kerhove pointed out that wastewater testing—which is even more reliable—shows that there may actually be two to 20 times more cases than that.
Is there a new vaccine?
There is a new COVID-19 vaccine, although it’s not here just yet. The updated COVID-19 vaccine was approved on August 22 and should be hitting pharmacies soon.
What does that mean for you? “This is the million-dollar question I’ve been asked for the last month,” Russo says. “If you’re in the low-risk category or have recently been infected, you should wait to get vaccinated [until the new one comes out].”
But if you’re in a high-risk category, haven’t had the previous vaccine, and know you have some activities coming up that will put you at risk of getting infected (like going to an indoor family gathering or traveling for a work trip), Russo recommends getting the current vaccine.
If you’re not sure, of course, it’s not a bad idea to check in with your doctor to see where you land. Stay safe out there!
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