COVID-19 cases are believed to be increasing in over 25 states, including Michigan. This data comes from a recent report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Dr. Albert Ko is a professor of public health, epidemiology and medicine at the Yale School of Public Health. Ko said that since the beginning of the pandemic there are usually 2 waves where cases rise: one in the winter and one in the summer.
There are several reasons why the current summer wave could exist. According to Ko, traveling and staying indoors with air conditioning in the summer enables the introduction and transmission of new variants. He said the virus is mutating, creating continuous waves of omicron subvariants that are easily transmissible.
The emerging variants:
SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. Its mutation has resulted in the emergence of two variants, the Nimbus and the Stratus.
The Nimbus, also known as the NB.1.8.1, is the dominant variant in the U.S. According to the CDC, it accounts for around 43% of COVID cases. The variant can infect cells more efficiently by binding to cells in the respiratory track, according to Ko.
The Stratus variant, also called XFG, is a hybrid of previous COVID variants. It can effectively mutate to escape our immune response.
Dr. Adam Lauring, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Michigan, said the variants are nothing unusual. According to Lauring, the data does not suggest there are any specific or worsened symptoms these variants cause.
“New variants are always going to happen, the virus is always evolving, and it's often evolving to escape our defense systems,” he said.
“Both variants are distinctly different, but they are recombinants of prior subvariants,” said Ko. “They don't appear to be more apt to cause severe disease or severe complications of COVID than the previous sub-variants of omicron that we've experienced in the past,” he continued.
According to the experts, for most of the general population these variants don't cause severe cases of COVID. But unlike a common cold, it has the ability to become a serious illness for at-risk groups, including elderly or autoimmune compromised individuals.
People can become more susceptible to infection as immunity from vaccinations or previous illnesses wanes over time, according to Lauring. He recommends the general population get vaccinated once a year and those at-risk twice a year to protect against the disease.
The experts said the best way to protect from COVID-19 is staying up to date with the vaccines. According to the CDC, test if you have symptoms or have been exposed, isolate and practice social distancing when sick, and wear a mask when needed.
Lauring said that while these recommendations are currently being re-examined with the change of the presidential administration and leadership, they remain in place.
Rising in waves:
According to Lauring, there are a number of ways to trace COVID cases. The CDC pulls data from the state health departments who gather information from various healthcare and hospital systems throughout the state.
In Michigan, the CDC set up a surveillance system with multiple sites where waste water is tested. This is how the transmission of COVID can be tracked. The samples help determine how much of the virus is present and what type of variants there are in a community.
Lauring said that Michigan hasn’t had a substantial rise over the last few weeks to months despite the national trend. But these waves really feel like they are becoming a pattern, he continued.
Ko agreed, stating that this trend is something they have seen in the past. He said the rise in infections usually begins in the south and southwest but eventually will affect most of the country. This is supported by data on COVID-19’s trends by the CDC, the highest levels of cases can be found in Western, Southern and Southeastern states.
Ko said that Michiganders should be prepared for increased cases in the coming months.
Common symptoms of COVID to look out for include a sore throat, fever or chills, cough, headache, shortness of breath, and a new loss of sense of smell or taste.
