COVID Comeback? Case Uptick Puts Some on Edge, But no Surge in Sight

A rise in patients being hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 amid a late summer uptick in cases and recent warnings of new coronavirus variants have officials urging the public to remain vigilant.

For the week ending August 12, the COVID hospital admission level in Suffolk County was low at 177, up 37% from the week prior, health data shows. The World Health Organization has named EG.5, or Eris, a new COVID variant of interest and New York State is monitoring samples for the new BA.2.86 variant not yet detected locally and no variant is dominant nationwide.

“Current COVID-19 wastewater levels indicate that the virus circulates across Suffolk County at low levels compared to peak surge conditions but above the levels observed in recent months,” the Suffolk County Department of Health Services said.

While COVID-19 hospital admissions are rising — there were 12,613 nationwide for the week ending August 12 — they’re a far cry from past peaks, such as the 44,000 weekly hospital admissions in early January or the 150,000 admissions during the omicron surge of January 2022. Since early June, about 500 to 600 people have died each week. The number of deaths appears to be stable this summer, although past increases in deaths have lagged behind hospitalizations.

“It is ticking up a little bit, but it’s not something that we need to raise any alarm bells over,” said Dr. David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

It’s likely that infections are rising too, but the data is scant. Federal authorities ended the public health emergency in May, so the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many states no longer track the number of positive test results.

State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald called BA.2.86 “the most genetically different strain we have seen since the original omicron variant,” adding that “these significant changes are important to note as mutations may allow the virus to evade prior immunity.”

The developments come as an updated COVID-19 vaccine tailored to guard against certain omicron variants is expected to be available nationwide beginning in late September. Pfizer, Moderna and smaller manufacturer Novavax all are brewing doses of what’s known as the XBB.1.5 update — so named for an omicron strain it targets — but the Food and Drug Administration will have to sign off on each, and the CDC must then issue recommendations for their use.

President Joe Biden said August 25 that he is planning to request more money from Congress to develop another new coronavirus vaccine, adding that it’s “tentatively” recommended “that everybody get it,” once the shots are ready.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, the Baldwin High School graduate who is the new CDC director, said she expects people will get their COVID-19 shots where they get their flu shots — at pharmacies and at work — rather than at dedicated locations that were set up early in the pandemic as part of the emergency response.

“This is going to be our first fall and winter season coming out of the public health emergency, and I think we are all recognizing that we are living with COVID, flu, and RSV,” Cohen told the Associated Press. “But the good news is we have more tools than ever before.”

The state is also urging the public not to let complacency set in.

“While New Yorkers might want to be done with COVID-19, COVID-19 isn’t done with us,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on August 29. “With the increase in hospitalizations and reported cases this summer, I strongly urge everyone to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves and their communities. To keep New Yorkers safe, my administration will continue to monitor this situation, share information on the new boosters as soon as it’s available, and continue to make N-95 masks available statewide.”

The state is also distributing coronavirus test kits, urging nursing home operators to protect vulnerable residents and encouraging high-risk members of the public to talk to their primary care physician about how they can best protect themselves.

The state is not restoring mask mandates, but with the coming new school year in mind, officials did recommend that schools promote vaccination and testing; encourage students, teachers, and faculty to stay home if they are sick; optimize ventilation to reduce the risk of germs and contaminants spreading through the air; and reinforce proper handwashing and hygiene practices.

The uptick in hospitalizations sparked internet rumors that nationwide mask mandates may soon return, but the Associated Press reports that the source of that misinformation was InfoWars host Alex Jones, the conspiracy theorist who was ordered to pay $1.4 billion to the families of Sandy Hook victims last year after a jury found him liable for spreading misinformation about that 2012 mass shooting.

The CDC’s guidance currently remains to avoid transmitting COVID-19 to others includes isolating for five days after the onset of symptoms, wearing a mask and avoiding contact with those who may be at higher risk of complications.

“Remember, COVID is now a treatable disease and tests are both easy and highly accurate,” added Dr. McDonald, the state health commissioner. “Antivirals such as Paxlovid are most effective when started within five days of the onset of symptoms.”

-With Associated Press