As new COVID-19 booster shots become available, multiple metrics are showing that the virus is spiking across much of the U.S. Here’s what you need to know about staying protected.
COVID spikes
Test positivity was above 10% in all 50 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Around 20 states had increases in test positivity during that time, mostly in the Midwest and Southeast. Deaths and hospitalizations were low.
Per the most recent CDC data (covering the week ending Aug. 17), there was an overall 18% increase in test positivity nationwide, a 2.5% increase in emergency visits, a 4.4% increase in hospitalizations and a 1.8% increase in COVID-19 related deaths.
In a map updated last Thursday, the CDC showed that the wastewater viral activity level of SARS-CoV-2 that was high to very high in many areas of the country.
“Wastewater (sewage) can be tested to detect traces of infectious diseases circulating in a community, even if people don’t have symptoms,” according to the CDC. “You can use these data as an early warning that levels of infections may be increasing or decreasing in your community.”
What are the new booster recommendations?
Last Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also approved new COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. These were formulated to protect against currently circulating strains of the virus.
“The new shots target a SARS-CoV-2 strain called KP.2, and they are expected to provide protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death related to COVID, said an article published this week by Yale Medicine. It added that “a collection of closely related SARS-CoV-2 strains are circulating,” in the country, all related to the omicron strain.
CDC recommendations call for infants and children from 6 months to 4 years old to get one or two doses of the booster and everyone age 5 and older to get one shot of the booster. Anyone 6 months or older who is immunocompromised should discuss how many booster doses to get with their physician or pharmacist based on vaccination history. The CDC also provides recommendations for people who have not previously been vaccinated.
Dr. Peter Chin Hong told Audacy this month that October is the ideal time to get a booster in order to stay protected through the winter. However, people who plan to travel before then or be in situations that may increase their risk of exposure may want to get their shots earlier.
Cleaning up confusion
KYW reported Thursday on research from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania that found the number of Americans who believe misinformation about the vaccine and the virus is rising. This new Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge survey, released Wednesday, showed that many adults are reluctant to get the updated booster shot.
“Our survey research, which goes back three years, has been tracking misinformation about the COVID vaccines — in particular, statements that suggest that getting COVID is safer than getting the vaccine, and that if you get the vaccine, it’s going to affect your DNA,” said survey director Kathleen Hall Jamieson, who leads the center.
She said that none of that is true.
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency and various mitigation efforts, concerns about the virus have faded for many. Still, as the CDC metrics show, it is still circulating and it still brings with it a risk of hospitalization, death and lingering health issues.
“The pervasive sense of pandemic fatigue has led to a serious decline in vigilance. Many people, weary of the pandemic’s disruptions to their lives, have become markedly less cautious,” said an opinion piece by Aaron Solomon published this week by The Hill. “This complacency, coupled with the underestimation of the virus’s ability to adapt, has allowed COVID-19 to regain a foothold.”
Many experts say staying up to date on vaccinations is one way that Americans can prevent surges and complications related to COVID-19.
“COVID will never go away, and I am certain we are going to see an increase in cases in our communities this winter,” said Dr. Scott Roberts, a Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist. “We’ve continued to see patients get admitted to the hospital with COVID, the majority of whom are unvaccinated.”