Appleton, Green Bay areas see slight bump in COVID cases as new booster shot will soon be available

GREEN BAY - As students returned to school in Wisconsin, COVID-19 cases bumped up slightly, but local doctors say it's not a cause for alarm.

The virus hasn't completely disappeared but it hasn't reached levels of previous peaks. Since the start of July in the Fox Valley, case counts and hospitalizations have started to increase.

On Aug. 22, about 16.7% of the tests over seven days came back positive, which was the highest weekly percent positive all year, according to data from the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Since then, the number of positive tests has been falling, down to 12% on Aug. 31.

"The good news is the current strain of COVID has proven to be less severe on children and young adults, but we must remain cautious," said Bellin infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Landrum.

As cases begin to rise again, so is the number of people who are hospitalized with the virus statewide.

As of Sept. 2, the seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the northeast region of the state was 10 patients, according to data from the state Department of Health Services.

But local doctors say the uptick has been gradual and don't expect to hit hospital capacity. At Bellin hospitals, the number of hospitalizations has been "pretty steady" over the last couple weeks, according to Kelly McBride Moore, a Bellin spokesperson. There has not been a surge recently, she said.

Two weeks ago, 12 people were admitted to ThedaCare hospitals due to COVID-19, but the number of patients has started to decline. Now, the health system sees around three to five COVID-19 patients a day, said Dr. Nathan Nobbe, the director of infection prevention at ThedaCare, which has consistently been low since the start of the year when the average number of COVID-19 patients in Fox Valley hospitals in a week was around 39 patients on Jan. 3, according to DHS.

In comparison, during the omicron surge between December 2021 and January 2022, the weekly average fluctuated between 140 to 160 patients.

Nobbe notes there might be a rise in infections in the area, with kids going back to school and parties during the Labor Day weekend.

"We could see a potential bump within the next week or so, with the new school year starting, and a recent holiday weekend," Nobbe said in an email. "Overall testing is down, due to the more mild and asymptomatic nature of this current COVID strain, so prevalence in the community is most likely higher."

However, an updated vaccine is expected to be announced soon that could offer more protection against current variants of the virus.

The Food and Drug Administration is set to authorize a new vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna this fall. Then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's advisory committee is set to meet on Sept. 12 to recommend who will be eligible for the shots; the shots may become available the next day.

The updated booster shot is expected to target XBB.1.5, an omicron subvariant. It will also provide some protection against EG.5 — or known as Eris — which is now the dominant variant in the U.S., according to the CDC.

Meanwhile, people can continue following guidelines to reduce spread including masking, washing hands regularly, and covering your cough.

More: Should you be worried about latest COVID variant? Will the new vaccines fight BA.2.86?

Benita Mathew is a health and science reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at bmathew@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @benita_mathew.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: COVID-19 cases rise slightly in Green Bay, Appleton areas