{"id":4276,"date":"2023-08-08T16:12:22","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T21:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/healthsecurity\/transmission\/?p=4276"},"modified":"2023-08-08T16:13:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T21:13:14","slug":"covid-didnt-take-a-summer-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/healthsecurity\/transmission\/2023\/08\/08\/covid-didnt-take-a-summer-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid Didn\u2019t Take a Summer Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New York Times<\/a> Many people don\u2019t want to think about the virus, but an increase in cases means it\u2019s time for a refresher on how to protect yourself and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re not imagining it: Covid-19 cases are on the rise<\/a> again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, since a vast majority of Americans have some sort of immunity, either from vaccination or a prior infection, or both, most people who get infected now will have a mild illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while there are multiple strains circulating (nearly all of them descendants of the Omicron XBB variant), they are unlikely to cause the \u201cwildfire spreading\u201d that occurred with the Delta variant and the first Omicron variant, said Dr. David Boulware, a professor of medicine specializing in infectious diseases at the University of Minnesota Medical School. That includes EG.5, which was recently named a \u201cvariant under monitoring<\/a>\u201d by the World Health Organization and currently accounts for about 17 percent of cases<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s a surge, per se, or just uptick,\u201d Dr. Boulware said of the current situation. Either way, he added, it\u2019s a reminder \u201cthat, yes, Covid still exists.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is a quick refresher on how to navigate an outbreak in your community or home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n