Whilst COVID-19 has skilled its annual “summer time surge,” the selection of instances is starting to upward thrust once more, in line with Hartford HealthCare’s leader epidemiologist.“About two weeks in the past, COVID numbers in point of fact rose, so we had the summer time surge after which they dropped,” stated Dr. Ulysses Wu, who may be assistant director of infectious sicknesses for the well being care device. “However over the past week they began expanding once more.”Wu stated the upward thrust in summer time instances got here “just a bit bit previous than what we’d usually see.”
Dr. Ulysses S. Wu leader epidemiologist and assistant director of infectious sicknesses for Hartford HealthCare“Numerous that is being pushed by way of the brand new variants,” he stated, in particular the KP3.1.1 variant of Omicron, which “is now turning into the main variant, and its skill to contaminate other folks is almost certainly just a little bit higher and extra environment friendly than different variants that it prior to now got here from.”Additionally, as it’s been a warmer summer time, “it’s using other folks indoors, which will increase your possibility for transmission,” Wu stated.He stated the brand new variant doesn’t essentially reason worse sickness.“For the general public, the bulk of people that get COVID Omicron will do OK,” he stated. “Alternatively, it’s no longer benign. We’re definitely seeing other folks nonetheless being hospitalized, nonetheless other folks being ventilated and sadly nonetheless other folks which are demise from this illness.”There additionally continues to be an opportunity of growing lengthy COVID, he stated.Wu stated hospitalizations peaked at 140 statewide on July 22, then dropped to 108 on July 31, then rose to 126 two days later. That compares to numbers within the 70s a month in the past, he stated.Wu stated overlaying and vaccinations are nonetheless the most efficient coverage towards COVID, and “there must be a brand new vaccine that will probably be coming for the brand new respiration season. In order that together with overlaying, when overlaying is completed accurately and the proper mask are worn, you’re no longer handiest going to offer protection to your self towards COVID however all of the different pretty respiration sicknesses which are circulating available in the market.”But even so rhinovirus, which reasons the average chilly, Wu stated there are “adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza, mycoplasma — that’s a micro organism that reasons quote-unquote strolling pneumonia. Those are all nonetheless circulating available in the market. And prior to you are aware of it, we’re going to be diving into RSV season in a couple of months.”Wu stated it’s highest to believe a COVID booster concurrently flu and RSV vaccines, as a result of they generally tend to upward thrust on the identical time.“You in point of fact wish to time it with respiration season,” he stated. “The RSV definitely comes just a little bit previous, however you wish to have your height months of November, December, January and February. So I might say perhaps mid- to overdue October is while you in point of fact wish to get started excited about getting your COVID vaccine.”Ed Stannard will also be reached at estannard@courant.com.
At the beginning Printed: August 6, 2024 at 5:55 a.m.
