People are falling ill with COVID again. What to know about boosters, testing and masks

Are you feeling sick?

COVID-19 is going around again, and hospitalizations are on the rise, including in Florida, though its much lower then this time last year.

And while no one seems to wear masks or worries about social distancing anymore, a new COVID-19 vaccine booster is slated to roll out this fall to better protect people against new circulating strains.

Here’s what to know as we move into fall:

What’s the COVID situation in Florida? What about in Miami-Dade, Broward, the Keys and Palm Beach County?

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the country have ticked up again, with 12,613 new admissions the week ending Aug. 12, an increase of 21.6% from the prior week, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency says Florida saw 1,871 new admissions in the week ending Aug. 12, an increase of 11.6% from the prior week.

Current hospitalization numbers in the U.S. are “about three times lower than the same time last year and about six times lower than in 2021, according to the CDC,” ABC News reports.

The CDC is using COVID hospitalization admissions to determine whether a county is considered to have a low, medium or high COVID risk level. As of Friday, much of Florida is considered to be low risk, including Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. Some parts of the state, including Sarasota and Palm Beach counties, are considered to have a medium COVID risk level.

People considered to be at high risk for COVID should wear a high-quality mask or respirator, such as an N95 mask, in indoor public settings if they live in or are visiting a medium risk county, according to the CDC. The federal agency says anyone who lives with or is in contact with high-risk people should also self-test for COVID before seeing them, and also consider masking up when indoors with them.

The CDC is also recommending everyone, regardless of their county’s risk level, stay up to date on vaccinations and avoid contact with people who are suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. And if you test positive for COVID, quarantine. The agency is also recommending that people considered to be high risk for the disease speak with their doctor about precautions.

For Aarti Raja, a professor and virology expert in the department of biological sciences at Nova Southeastern University’s Halmost College of Arts and Sciences, the increase of COVID hospitalizations in the country is likely due to the time of the year, with lots of summer travel, along with the arrival of several new strains.

And while Raja said there’s some concern with how the country will handle the possibility of another “trifecta” of flu, COVID and RSV circulating in the fall, she said the U.S. is better prepared with COVID vaccines and boosters, influenza vaccines and new RSV vaccines and monoclonal antibodies.

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What’s the dominant COVID strain in Florida? Common symptoms?

EG.5, also known as Eris, is the dominant COVID-19 strain in the U.S., including in Florida, and is a descendant of the omicron variant, according to the CDC. The CDC estimates that Eris makes up about 20.6% of cases in the country.

Common symptoms are similar to other omicron strains and include a runny nose, sore throat and other cold-like symptoms. Raja said that Paxlovid, the oral antiviral medication used to treat COVID in certain patients, should still work.

When will the new COVID booster come out?

A new COVID-19 booster, formulated to provide protection against the XBB lineage of the omicron variant, such as XBB.1.5, is expected to be available this fall, possibly in September or October.

Newer subvariants have emerged since manufacturers began working on the boosters, including EG.5. However, these strains are so closely related, the updated vaccine should provide some protection against them, according to Raja.

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC will need to give the OK to the updated booster before it becomes available.

“The best way to think of it is a lot like the flu vaccine, where, yes, you may have gotten the flu vaccine last year and the year before, but you kind of have to get the updated one to cover for the most prevalent strain that is floating around in the population,” Raja said.

COVID-19 testing options?

Raja said most COVID tests should still be able to detect if someone is ill with COVID, regardless of the new circulating variants. However, it won’t be as easy to get tested. Popular South Florida COVID-19 test sites, like the one at Tropical Park, no longer exist. If you want to get tested, check with pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens and other healthcare providers for options.

Keep in mind that since the federal COVID emergency ended in May, insurers are no longer required to cover COVID-19 testing, including at-home test kits and PCR testing. Check with your insurance to see if it will cover part or all of your COVID testing costs, and if there are any restrictions, such as requiring the test to be done with an in-network provider.

If you have expired at-home tests, check the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website to see if the tests expiration date has been extended.

READ MORE: When should you test for COVID, and what if you test positive? Here are latest tips

Should you wear a mask again with COVID on the rise?

While some schools and businesses in the country recently reinstated mask mandates, the face coverings have mostly become a pandemic relic.

However, Raja said those who are considered to be high risk for severe disease, such as seniors and those who are immunocompromised, might want to consider wearing a mask if they live or are traveling to an area that has begun to see more COVID circulating. It depends on your risk factor and current situation.

“People 65-plus and people who are immunocompromised should strongly consider masking during flu, RSV, COVID season while in indoor public spaces,” said Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, told CBS News. “And for everyone else — it all depends on what their risk tolerance is.”

And while the COVID alphabet soup will likely continue as newer variants appear, Raja said “we just have to be smart about it, realize and acknowledge this is out there and take the precautions necessary.”

“If we have the means and mechanisms in place to protect ourselves, we should protect ourselves and start maybe getting used to the idea that this likely will resemble flu, not resemble the flu virus and what it does, but more in how we take precautions against it,” Raja said. “Just like how we think of the flu as a seasonal issue, we’re going to have to start thinking about COVID more along those lines.”