As the holiday season approaches, experts are warning of a potential 'silent' surge in COVID-19 cases. This wave is starting later than usual, following a period of low activity in the fall, and many people may be unaware of the increasing risk of infection.
This year's winter COVID-19 wave is off to a late start, and experts expect cases to keep rising. Here's what to know.As the holidays arrive and travel peaks, COVID-19 is on the rise again across the country. However, this year's winter COVID wave is off to a later start than usual, and some experts are warning about a potential"silent" surge in transmission over the holiday season.
But there's a great deal of uncertainty about how bad this year's winter wave will be and how long it will last. “This is a very risky time in terms of lots of people interacting indoors, so we don’t really know how quickly transmission can pick up,” Hoerger says.Wastewater levels of COVID-19 are lower than they were at this point last winter, but there has been a sharp uptick in the last two weeks, according to data from the CDC. And cases will likely continue to increase, experts say.
The CDC no longer tracks the total number of new COVID cases in the U.S., instead estimating transmission levels using wastewater surveillance, test positivity and emergency department visits., up 0.5% from the previous week, per CDC data. COVID-related emergency room visits and deaths are also increasing very slightly.
"Transmission was freakishly low for November, and so people are kind of lulled into a false sense of security," he adds. "We anticipate that these holiday gatherings and traveling and all that will provide opportunities for an increase in COVID, as well as and RSV,” Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, tells
"The communicability of these viruses is contributing to a silent epidemic, if you will," says Schaffner.“If you see increased COVID-19 wastewater viral activity levels in your area, it might indicate that there is a higher risk of infection,” says Yoder.
COVID-19 Winter Wave Public Health Holiday Travel Wastewater Data
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