LARGO, Md. (7News) — All of a sudden, many states are reporting spikes in COVID-19 cases –Maryland and Virginia are among them.
Health officials believe abnormally hot weather, lower vaccination rates, and two new variants are causing the spike.
Nationwide, positivity rates are up about 20%, and emergency room visits are also up about 20%. This is alarming for those who are more vulnerable and considered high-risk.
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COVID-19 cases are rising across the country this summer, and health officials worry that the heat is playing a factor in the spread. The latest Virginia numbers from last week show just 1.2% of emergency department visits were diagnosed for coronavirus. But that is 30% higher than the previous week. In Maryland, 1,114 cases were reported this past weekend, with seven deaths. Metric levels in D.C. are low currently.
Two new highly contagious variants make up more than half of the cases nationwide. The extreme heat locally is also keeping more people indoors in the A/C and closer together. In the meantime, vaccination rates have severely dropped.
Immunity to the virus might be waning a bit.
Dr. Brandon Eilertson, a specialist in Infectious Diseases said vaccines and wearing a mask for those in high-risk groups should never be out of the question.
Only 22% of people in the U.S. received the most updated vaccine.
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“At this point, I think that the increase in cases is driven more by the newer variants being more people to transmit themselves, even better than Omicron which was even better than the original COVID which was even better at transmitting itself and pretty much any other virus,” Dr. Eilertson said.
The newest variants are mutating to spread more easily. Since June, the FLiRT variants have accounted for more than 60% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.
For now, it doesn’t appear that these mutations are making the virus more dangerous. The newest vaccine is expected to hit pharmacies this fall. While CDC guidelines have softened, and testing has gone way down, positivity numbers are showing uncomfortable spikes.
This is not alarming for the vast majority of people. But for those with weak immune systems, it could be very dangerous.
“That’s driving people to be indoors and air conditioning. And that is similar to some of the conditions that help respiratory viruses spread so well in winter. People are not outside, they’re not meeting in a park or a playground with their kids and friends. They’re going instead and sitting in the living room and in closer contact,” added Dr. Eilertson.
COVID-19 infection cases doubled from the beginning of June to the beginning of July, according to new data from the Virginia Department of Health. The good news is that while the number of cases is climbing, deaths from COVID-19 continue to drop. Infections are growing in at least 43 states.
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