Here’s what you need to know about covid this summer as infections rise - The Washington Post
Infections are growing or “likely growing” in 26 states and D.C., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on emergency department visit data as of July 15. A recent CDC report also notes that more laboratory tests are returning positive for the coronavirus, and emergency room visits for covid are increasing for young children.
WastewaterSCAN, which tracks viruses in wastewater to monitor infectious diseases, reports that national levels of coronavirus are in the high category and slowly trending upward since early- to mid-June.
The coronavirus “is still out there, it is still going through communities across the country,” said Amanda Bidwell, scientific program manager at WastewaterSCAN. Concentrations of the coronavirus in its wastewater samples are up 38 percent in July compared with June, first rising in the South, then the West and now in the Northeast and Midwest, she said.
Covid isn’t gone, but “it’s just not as horrible as it used to be, and everybody has some immunity to it. You either have been vaccinated and boosted, or you’ve had it, or both. And so it is a lot less likely to kill you than five years ago,” said Donald Milton, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health and an expert in the spread of the coronavirus and other respiratory viruses. However, tens of thousands of Americans are still dying from covid each year, he said.
The coronavirus “can still cause a nasty illness and slow you down for a week or so. And there’s still the risk of long covid, especially for more vulnerable groups of people,” he said.
“I think we’re at the beginning of this summer surge. We haven’t peaked yet,” Bidwell said. “We don’t know how big the surge is going to be.”
Getting vaccinated, masking, improving air quality and staying away from those who may be contagious continue to be some of the best ways to protect yourself from the coronavirus, experts said.
Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself against the virus.
What are the current variants?
There are many coronavirus variants, but the two that have been named, because they are “at risk of dominating the landscape,” are NB. 1.8.1 and XFG, both of which are competing for global dominance, said Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine and an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California at San Francisco. The World Health Organization lists them as “variants under monitoring,” he said.
Wastewater data from the week of July 12 shows that XFG is making up around 40 percent of variants while NB. 1.8.1 is making up only about 10 percent, Bidwell said.
But there is a caveat, said Dean Blumberg, a professor and the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Health. “There have been very low numbers of sequences being reported to the CDC and from limited locations, so the data is not quite as good as it has been previously,” he said.
What are the symptoms?
The NB. 1.8.1 variant has gotten notoriety because of what is described as “razor blade throat,” Chin-Hong said. But, he said, there have been more sore throat and non-pneumonia symptoms since the omicron variant, so about 70 percent of people with covid, even before the new variants, had a sore throat, and some of them included people with severe sore throat.
Blumberg said he isn’t aware of any actual scientific data that supports this symptom. “I think that might have been subjective reports,” he said.
Symptoms common to all variants include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, muscle aches, fatigue and congestion, Chin-Hong said.
Each variant has different symptoms for different people, said Daniel Griffin, a clinical instructor of medicine and infectious-disease specialist at Columbia University. “Some people have a horrible sore throat, and it’s not covid. Other people, they just have the sniffles and trouble breathing, and it is covid. … And then your experience with covid is going to vary each time you get it,” he said.
Does the current vaccine protect against these variants?
The current vaccine provides some protection against these variants, some of the experts said.
Griffin said that since all of the variants are within the same omicron group, “it looks like the vaccines are still providing protection.”
Vaccines remain an important defense against the coronavirus, the experts said.
Milton said he is looking forward to the new vaccine formulations in the fall, which he hopes will have fewer side effects. “I’m not sure how big a deal the change in formulation will be, but I’d much rather boost my immunity with the vaccine than by getting sick,” he added.
The current CDC recommendation is for all adults to receive an updated coronavirus vaccine and for parents to consult doctors to decide whether their children should be vaccinated. But federal health officials have signaled they will probably limit recommendations of the next version of the coronavirus vaccine to people who are 65 or older or have a condition that places them at risk of severe disease.
What other precautions should I take?
Make sure that homes and places you frequent have good ventilation, Milton said.
Wear a mask if you’re traveling, particularly when there’s less ventilation, Chin-Hong said.
And “if you’re really vulnerable, you might want to consider masking in public, like when you’re going shopping or in other areas,” Blumberg said.
You can also check coronavirus wastewater data to assess how risks change, Griffin said. “It’s like checking the weather,” he said.
The WastewaterSCAN website updates at least once a day and tracks other pathogens such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and measles, and “provides a good snapshot for people across the country of what is happening in different regions,” Bidwell said.
Does the coronavirus test pick up the new variants?
The tests continue to be accurate in picking up these current strains as previous strains, the experts said.
But Chin-Hong cautioned that people should check if the test has expired. “A lot of people have old tests in the closet now. We’ve had the virus five years,” he said. Make sure the control bar is lighting up in addition to the testing bar, he advised.
Are there changes in when people should test?
The testing recommendations remain the same, the experts said.
If your symptoms don’t resolve in a day, then test yourself the next day, first thing in the morning, Griffin said.
If the result is negative, repeat the test 24 to 48 hours later, the experts said.
“If the consequences are high, like if you live with somebody who’s older or immune-compromised, or you are older or immune-compromised, particularly if you didn’t get a recent vaccine, do not take that first negative test as the gospel, because particularly right after symptoms, it may be falsely negative,” Chin-Hong said.
What happens if I test positive?
Stay home when you’re sick and don’t expose others, the experts recommended. Wear a mask when you have symptoms, even if you haven’t tested positive yet.
“Regardless of what you have, it’d be nice if you didn’t share it,” but even more so if it’s covid because of its potential long-term effects and its severity, Milton said.
What are the treatments for covid?
High-risk people — those who are 65 or older, have a condition that places them at risk of severe disease or didn’t get the vaccine last year — should consider getting early antivirals, some experts said. One drug often used in treatment is Paxlovid, which should be taken within the first five days. Another drug is remdesivir, which is recommended if you are taking medications that have interactions with Paxlovid.
If your throat is really sore, use a liquid formulation of Tylenol, like what children use, but at a higher adult dose, Chin-Hong said. Soothing items such as Popsicles, warm soups or lozenges with menthol can also help a sore throat.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2025/07/04/covid-coronavirus-summer-surge/
Editorial Comment:
- Preventive Measures: Standard COVID-19 precautions remain effective: mask-wearing in crowded or high-risk settings, nasal and hand hygiene, mouth gargle, and avoiding close contact with symptomatic individuals.
- Symptom Relief: For those experiencing the unique sore throat, recommended relief measures include staying hydrated, using throat lozenges and mouth gargles, and employing humidifiers.
Most mainstream doctors (e.g. here) still recommend acetaminophen (paracetamol), despite strong evidence indicating it is associated with a 24% [9–40%] higher mortality risk in COVID-19 patients. A pooled analysis focusing on the most severe outcomes shows an even higher risk—28% [17–41%] increased mortality (1, 5). Given this evidence, patients and healthcare providers should carefully weigh the risks and benefits of acetaminophen for COVID-19 symptom management and consider alternative approaches when appropriate.
- Concerns about acetaminophen’s use in COVID-19 stem from multiple potential mechanisms of harm, including glutathione depletion, fever suppression, liver toxicity, immunosuppression, cytokine disruption, prostaglandin and COX inhibition, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and microbiome alteration. Fever, a natural defense against infection, is suppressed by acetaminophen, potentially prolonging illness and impairing immune responses (1, 6, 7, 8).
- As for when you should go to an urgent care or emergency room? When you have chest pain, have a hard time waking up or staying awake, or feel confused and disoriented, the CDC advises. “If you have COVID or COVID-like illness and have worsening trouble breathing or chest pain, you should be evaluated at your doctor’s office, urgent care or the ER,” Dr. Zachary Hoy (a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Pediatrix Medical Group in Nashville, Tennessee) said.
- Dr. Peter McCullough recommends staying proactive. "Nasal sprays and gargles are the best prevention measure,” says Dr. McCullough, emphasizing simple, frontline strategies to reduce viral load and help stop infection before it starts.
How effective are the vaccines against NB.1.8.1 and XFG?
So if you have a condition that puts you at risk, it’s worth getting vaccinated if it’s been more than six months since your last vaccine or bout of COVID, Adalja advises. He also added that those who are low-risk likely do not need to go out and get another shot. (HuffPost)
The currently authorized mRNA vaccines continue to provide strong protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death from emerging variants such as NB.1.8.1 and XFG, despite some degree of immune evasion indicated by roughly 1.5 to 2-fold reductions in antibody neutralization. Booster doses, especially those updated to match Omicron JN.1-lineage subvariants, further enhance immune protection and remain recommended.
However, a fuller understanding of vaccine impact must also consider potential issues related to the spike protein, the viral component targeted by these vaccines. Both SARS-CoV-2 infection and mRNA vaccination induce spike protein production to elicit immunity, but some experts raise concerns about spike protein-related effects:
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The spike protein, whether from natural infection or vaccine-induced expression, has been studied for its role in driving inflammation, endothelial (lining of blood vessels) damage, and microvascular dysfunction. These effects may contribute to rare adverse reactions post-vaccination or prolonged symptoms after infection.
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Integrative medicine approaches aimed at mitigating spike protein injury focus on reducing systemic inflammation, supporting detoxification pathways, repairing endothelial and microvascular damage, and restoring immune balance. Some agents such as nattokinase have been proposed to aid spike protein neutralization and clearance (though evidence is still evolving).
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Importantly, mRNA vaccines produce spike protein locally and transiently in muscle and nearby lymph nodes, with rapid clearance. Available safety data show that adverse events linked specifically to spike protein toxicity are very rare compared to the immense benefit in COVID-19 prevention.
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Common vaccine side effects—pain, swelling, fatigue, fever—are typically manifestations of the immune system responding to the spike protein antigen.
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Rare but serious side effects like myocarditis have been hypothesized in some studies to involve inflammatory responses potentially triggered by spike protein interaction with cardiac tissues, though causality is not definitively established. Most myocarditis cases resolve with treatment and monitoring, but some imaging shows persistent myocardial changes of unknown long-term significance.
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Ongoing research seeks to clarify how spike protein characteristics influence both vaccine efficacy and safety profiles against subvariants such as NB.1.8.1 and XFG.
This protocol is solely for educational purposes regarding potentially beneficial therapies for COVID-19. Never disregard professional medical advice because of something you have read on our website and releases. This protocol is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment with regard to any patient. Treatment for an individual patient should rely on the judgement of a physician or other qualified health provider. Always seek their advice with any questions you may have regarding your health or medical condition.
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