The U.S. is in the midst of what\u2019s become an annual summer surge in COVID cases<\/a>. In fact, the nation is experiencing its biggest spike in summer infections yet, according to test positivity records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>. Over the past four summers, peak test positivity has volleyed between July and August:<\/p>\n This year, cases have consistently increased since May, with test positivity<\/a> projected to reach 18.1% the week ended Aug. 10. Provided the CDC confirms this preliminary statistic, it would mark the first time in more than 2 \u00bd years that test positivity has exceeded 16%. Even that may be an underestimate; with at-home COVID tests<\/a> widely available, not everyone who tests positive reports their infection to their state health department<\/a>.<\/p>\n So if you\u2019ve noticed people masking up in crowded settings, testing kits in high demand at your local pharmacy, and colleagues calling out sick, you haven\u2019t succumbed to a time slip back to 2020. COVID-related hospitalizations<\/a> were projected to dip the week ended Aug. 10, having risen since late spring. Deaths, too, were projected to decline after increasing much of the summer. The percentage of emergency room visits<\/a> involving a COVID diagnosis, however, continued their net climb.<\/p>\n All this, and the coronavirus is no longer a pandemic. The U.S. public health emergency<\/a> ended in May 2023, days after the World Health Organization<\/a> said the virus \u201cno longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.\u201d COVID has shifted to become endemic<\/a>, according to the CDC, meaning it\u2019s a disease that, like the flu<\/a>, is always present in a population. Dr. Donald Dumford<\/a>, an infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic Akron General<\/a>, tells Fortune<\/em> the surge pattern seems to repeat every six months.<\/p>\n Travel is a driver of infection spread<\/a>, and summer is primetime for globetrotting. This spring, Tripadvisor\u2019s 2024 Summer Travel Index<\/a> showed 95% of respondents were planning to travel as much or more than they did last summer. Their top domestic destination? Las Vegas\u2014located in a part of the country where COVID test positivity is now high.<\/p>\n In the four-week period<\/a> ended Aug. 10, the national test positivity rate was 15.6%. During that time, five states in the South Central U.S. saw the highest test positivity, 21%. These states collectively make up the CDC\u2019s Region 6:<\/p>\n States in Region 9\u2014Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada\u2014had the next-highest four-week positivity rate, 18.8%. Ten other states across two Midwestern regions were also above the national average. No state\u2014as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands\u2014had a positivity rate below 10%.<\/p>\n While in mid-August summer vacation is over for some, countless school districts don\u2019t resume classes until September, and other travelers have jet setting yet to do before fall arrives. Dumford advises adequate sleep<\/a>, hydration<\/a>, and nutrition<\/a> to keep yourself healthy on the road. If you\u2019re journeying in close quarters, you may consider revisiting the public health habits you picked up in the early days of the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cFor those who are traveling, consider wearing a well-fitting mask while in the airport and while flying,\u201d Dumford told Fortune<\/em> last week<\/a>. \u201cThis is my particular strategy, just figuring that it is a time when I am exposed to a large group of people\u2014with the chance that some may be choosing to fly while ill because they already had a trip planned that they spent a lot of money on.\u201d<\/p>\n This latest COVID surge may lose steam in the fall when the 2024\u201325 vaccines, manufactured by Pfizer<\/a>, Moderna<\/a>, and Novavax, become available. The CDC recommends<\/a> vaccination for everyone 6 months and older; if you\u2019re 65 or older<\/a> or have a compromised immune system<\/a>, ask your doctor if you\u2019re eligible for additional vaccine doses.<\/p>\n For more on COVID-19:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. <\/span>Sign up<\/span><\/a> for free today.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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COVID infections highest in South Central states<\/h2>\n
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