Health Matters- It's summer, and Flu and RSV have come and gone. But as ever, COVID-19 is different. Even though the pandemic is behind us, the virus is once again surging in the U.S.
Time|August 05, 2024
On top of getting vaccinated, it might be time for some people to consider masking again-since a more transmissible virus is circulating, and more people are traveling and gathering in crowded public settings like airports. "If I were in a high-risk group and I'm in a large group of people I didn't know-like on an airplane-I think it's reasonable to wear a mask," says Murphy. That consideration should also apply to people who are sick. "I think anyone who has a respiratory illness should stay at home," says Offit. "And if you can't stay at home, you should wear a mask. If you're in a high-risk group, get tested-and if you have COVID-19, take an antiviral."
By Alice Park
Health Matters- It's summer, and Flu and RSV have come and gone. But as ever, COVID-19 is different. Even though the pandemic is behind us, the virus is once again surging in the U.S.

It's summer, and Flu and RSV have come and gone. But as ever, COVID-19 is different. Even though the pandemic is behind us, the virus is once again surging in the U.S.

COVID-19 seems to be settling into a pattern of two peaks a year: one in the winter and one in the summer. Data from early July, the most recent available, showed rates of positive COVID-19 tests from labs (which represent only a small fraction of overall cases) continuing to increase. Hospitalizations for the disease also climbed in early summer, particularly among the elderly. Signs of the virus in wastewater-which provides among the most accurate real-time snapshots of COVID-19 prevalencehave been increasing since May.

The good news is that while the number of cases is climbing, deaths from COVID-19 continue to drop.

This story is from the August 05, 2024 edition of Time.

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This story is from the August 05, 2024 edition of Time.

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