Covid continues to rise, but experts remain optimistic

Slight increases in hospitalizations and deaths persist, but the numbers are relatively low and new vaccines are just around the corner.

Jill Biden, the first lady, tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. Governor Kathy Hochul of New York announced that the state will send high-quality masks and rapid tests to school districts that request them. Already, schools in Kentucky and Texas have closed, due to widespread respiratory illnesses among students and staff.

Coronavirus is in the classroom again air. Literally.

A steady increase in cases since July and reports of worrying new variants have fueled concern that the virus is on the verge of making a comeback this fall and winter. But in interviews, experts assured that the country will not see a return to the nightmare scenarios of previous years.

There is no evidence that the one of the circulating variants causes more severe disease or evades immunity deftly enough to render vaccines ineffective. And while hospitalizations and deaths are increasing week over week, the numbers remain low, noted Gigi Gronvall, biosecurity expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

“These increases are more alarming in statistical terms than in reality,” Dr Gronvall said.

Hospital admissions for Covid increased by about 16% in the week ending August 26, compared to the previous week. But the 17,400 new admissions were less than half the number from the same period last year, and about a fifth of the number from 2021.

Deaths from to Covid rose nearly 18 per cent from the previous week, but numbers remained relatively low, averaging just over 600 deaths per week in August, compared to around 3,000 per week at the end of August. 2022 and about 14,000 per week at the end of August 2021.

"What I think we're seeing is that the virus continues to evolve and then leads to waves of infection, which we hope are generally mild,” said Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Research Center. Virology and vaccine research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

For now, the numbers suggest Americans should adapt their behavior at their own risk, have said some experts.

Those most vulnerable to Covid – the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems – may well choose to take the utmost precautions , such as hiding most or all of the time and avoiding crowded indoor spaces.

People at reduced risk may want to take precautions in certain circumstances, especially if they risk transmitting the virus to more vulnerable people. Stay on top of Covid shots, Dr. Gronvall said, and get Paxlovid, the antiviral treatment, if you're infected and qualify.

Although the Most scientists be cautious. optimistically, it is difficult to predict what will happen in the coming months due to two factors: vaccines and variants.

The Biden administration has said that rather than periodically repeating booster shots, Americans should now expect to receive a single Covid shot each fall, much like the annual flu vaccine. This year's Covid vaccines could be available as early as next week, when advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to review the data and issue recommendations for use.

( Regulators in the European Union and Britain have already approved updated vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech for use in anyone aged 6 months and older.)

Vaccines will be available free to most Americans through private insurers and a new