The total number of COVID-related hospitalizations increased by 12.5 percent in the most recent week reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Respiratory virus case numbers are increasing this summer, including a new variant known as EG.5 becoming the dominant strain in the U.S.
Doctors say there has been a rise in summer respiratory viruses accompanying the new EG.5 variant of COVID, which just became dominant in the United States this week.
“The U.S. has experienced increases in COVID-19 during the last three summers, so it’s not surprising to see an uptick after a long period of declining rates,” said CDC spokesperson Kathleen Conley.
Dr. Bernard Camins, medical director for infection prevention at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, said his hospital was seeing a lot more Covid patients each day.
“The good news is that we’re not seeing patients who are that sick,” he said. About 5% of the patients hospitalized for Covid are sick enough to need intensive care treatment, which is a “very small number,” he said.
“It looks like Omicron, but it’s dodging immunity a little bit more. It’s kind of like the new thing that’s going to happen with COVID every single time, which is we’ll see it change a little bit enough just for it to kind of stay relevant,” said Dr. Eric Cioe Pena, vice president of the Center for Global Health of Northwell Health.
“We have a lot of I think PTSD from 2020, 2021 that is causing us to react to COVID differently when really it’s about the same as any other respiratory virus. The people that are gonna get very sick from it are gonna get very sick from RSV, are gonna get very sick from influenza,” Pena said.
He warns there’s another summer virus to be on the lookout for — hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD). This ailment is often confused with foot-and-mouth disease or hoof-and-mouth disease, which affects cows, sheep, goats, and pigs. Humans do not get the animal disease, and animals do not get the human disease.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is common in children under 5 years old, but anyone can get it. The illness is usually not serious as most people get better on their own in 7 to 10 days, but it is very contagious. HFMD can spread quickly at schools and daycare centers.
Symptoms can include fever, mouth sores, skin rash, and more. A person infected with one of the HFMD viruses is contagious, which means that they can pass the virus to other people.
You can take steps to relieve symptoms and prevent dehydration while you or your child are sick. Take over-the-counter medications to relieve fever and pain caused by mouth sores. These medications can include acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Never give aspirin to children. Drink enough liquids. Mouth sores can make it painful to swallow, so your child may not want to drink much. Make sure they drink enough to stay hydrated.
HFMD is caused by viruses that belong to the enterovirus family: Coxsackievirus A16 is typically the most common cause of HFMD in the United States. Coxsackievirus A6 can also cause HFMD and the symptoms may be more severe. Enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) has been associated with cases and outbreaks in East and Southeast Asia. Although rare, EV-A71 has been associated with more severe diseases such as encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
Respiratory sickness is of greater concern to health experts.
“If you’re feeling sick with any respiratory virus, avoid people who are immunocompromised or medically fragile,” Pena said.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms.
Possible symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
This list does not include all possible symptoms. Symptoms may change with new COVID-19 variants and can vary depending on vaccination status.
CDC warns that older adults and people who have such underlying medical conditions as heart or lung disease or diabetes are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.
Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses.
COVID-19 is caused by infection with a coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses. You cannot tell the difference between flu and COVID-19 by symptoms alone because some of the symptoms are the same.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests are the “gold standard” for COVID-19 detection. They are a type of nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), which are more likely to detect the virus than antigen tests. Your sample may be taken by a healthcare provider and transported to a laboratory for testing. It may take up to 3 days to receive results.
Facemasks commonly used during surgical procedures will provide barrier protection against droplet sprays contacting mucous membranes of the nose and mouth, but they are not designed to protect wearers from inhaling small particles.
NIOSH-approved particulate respirators with N95 filters or higher, such as other disposable filtering facepiece respirators, powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs), and elastomeric respirators, provide both barrier and respiratory protection because of their fit and filtration characteristics.
NIOSH-approved particulate respirators with N95 filters or higher are still recommended by the CDC for emerging pathogens that have the potential for transmission via small particles, the ability to cause severe infections, and limited or no treatment options.