Rise in COVID-19 cases during summer months
Mass. (WWLP) – It’s not behind us yet. With the sunny summer months comes an increase in COVID-19 cases. The rise of COVID infections began in early June, and cases are still rising. The latest data from the CDC shows high levels of the virus in wastewater data in almost every state.
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More tests are coming back positive, and people are still taking important steps to protect themselves and others.
“I just try to be careful about what I do in public. I make sure that I wash my hands, and you know, treat it like the flu or the cold, any other disease at this point,” expressed West Springfield resident Tom Jadlos.
COVID-19 cases have spiked every summer since the pandemic started, due to increased travel, large gatherings, new variants, and people seeking heat relief indoors, and inside is where the virus can spread more quickly.
Although COVID is spreading widely, daily life has returned to normal for most people, even during this summer wave. But, that doesn’t mean the effects of the virus have fully gone away.
COVID-19 can still make people very sick, and long COVID can cause debilitating health problems well beyond the initial period of infection. The virus still disrupts work, school, and vacation schedules.
“We were supposed to see my niece in a play a couple weekends ago, they live in Maryland, and the whole cast got covid just about,” said Karen Danforth from West Springfield. “And they had to cancel for that weekend, so we just had to change, and we went down the next weekend and got to see the play.”
Despite an uptake in cases, records show hospitalizations for COVID-19 are lower than this time last year, and fortunately, deaths due to the virus are at an all time low. The virus however, remains unpredictable.
“I’m hoping that it just continues to maybe lessen in its intensity, and that it becomes a nuisance and not a danger,” Jadlos concluded.
The CDC still advises people to protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated and consider wearing a mask around high-risk people and in large gatherings.
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