July 22, 2024 – The Summer COVID-19 The boom is here and growing, but there's also some relatively excellent news.
For many, symptoms don't last so long as they used to. And some doctors are more lenient of their approach to COVID tests – especially since tests are not any longer free – and say they're superb with individuals with mild illnesses simply isolating themselves until the symptoms disappear.
So can we consider COVID 2024 as nothing more annoying than the A chilly?
Not so fast, experts warn. This is misguided, fallacious and potentially dangerous.
“There is no way we can classify COVID as the common cold,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
“Wishful thinking,” agreed Eric J. Topol, MD, editor in chief of Medscape, WebMD's sister publication, and a professor of molecular medicine and executive vice chairman of Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif. COVID, he said, “still kills. The reason it's much better tolerated is because immunity is built up, but that wanes over time and the virus is constantly evolving.”
Summer fever: How bad is it?
In a printed CDC COVID update Friday, The variety of positive tests rose by 12.6% within the week ending July 13, compared with a rise of 11.4% within the previous week. In the week ending June 29, the variety of hospital admissions was 2.5 per 100,000 people, compared with 2.1 within the previous week.
The pandemic has been occurring for greater than 4 years, and epidemiologists expect a minimum of two latest cases to be added annually, Schaffner says. In addition to the rise in summer, there is usually a fair larger increase in winter.
Who is being hospitalized now? Older people – over 65 – and frail people, Schaffner said, together with individuals with weakened immune systems, individuals with chronic conditions and people who find themselves either not up thus far on COVID vaccinations or haven't been vaccinated in any respect. In 2023-2024, greater than 95% of individuals hospitalized with COVID had no proof of current vaccination.
Shorter duration of illness
Many individuals are Due to evolving variants and population immunity, mild infections are occurring, Schaffner said.
“The Omicron variants are not as severe as Delta, for example,” he said, “and we have immunity in the population.” According to the CDC, greater than 98% of the U.S. population has some immunity to COVID because of vaccination, previous infection, or each.
While Omicron spreads quickly, Schaffner said he has seen short courses of illness in most infected people, with symptoms lasting about three to 4 days.
John Passantino, MD, CEO of OMNImedFL in Tamarac, FL, said most of his patients reported typical cold symptoms, with a sore throat appearing to be a more common early symptom with the newer variants. It's been a protracted time, he said, since he's seen patients with COVID who suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a serious Lung disease which results in low oxygen levels within the blood and shortness of breath.
Nowadays, “I would say that patients who have COVID generally do not know it because the symptoms are so mild and overlap with those of a cold,” says Dr. Elena Christofides, a endocrinologist in Columbus, Ohio.
“I think the experts are right that herd immunity and the evolution of the virus have progressed to the point where it has led to fears in the population similar to those of the common cold. Of course, people can still get sick and/or have to go to the hospital, but that has always been the case, including with all other respiratory viruses.”
In mild cases, a unique perspective on tests
As disease patterns have modified, patients' testing behavior has also modified, doctors say.
“I haven’t heard of any of my patients getting tested afterward. [of the milder symptoms]”, said Christofides. And she agreed with that, she said.
“Given the sharp decline in severe cases,” Passantino said, “I can be more cautious, especially with my low-risk patients. If I recommend conservative treatment with rest, hydration and over-the-counter medications, I don't see the benefit of testing.”
However, he said that shared decision-making was best and he was at all times willing to debate testing and treatment options with patients.
“I actually have not modified my suggestion [on testing]but my patients have modified their behavior,” said Linda Yancey, MD, director of infection prevention at Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston. Patients are much less likely to buy and use a home test, she said, and she accepts that.
“We can't be on high alert and in a state of panic endlessly,” she said. She advises patients to stay home until symptoms subside and to wear a mask in public.
The updated CDC recommendations Tell them you can return to your normal activities if your symptoms improve after 24 hours and your fever, if you had one, goes away without taking medication. Take other precautions for the next 5 days, such as wearing a mask indoors.
Will COVID one day be a cold?
Will COVID ever develop to the point one dayWill it be more like a common cold virus? That's something that's often talked about among infectious disease experts, Schaffner said.
“We can wish for it,” he said, “but we cannot count on it.” There are crucial differences, he said. “A chilly doesn't send someone to the hospital. The data continues to indicate that COVID is more serious than the flu in hospitalized patients.”