Summer leads to increase in COVID-19 cases. What to expect later this year

As parts of the country have seen an increase in COVID-19 numbers in recent weeks, the Coachella Valley and Riverside County have experienced a similar trend as people travel and soak up the summer sun.

Teresa Turbyfill, manager of infection prevention and control at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, said there has been an uptick in COVID-positive hospital admissions the last five weeks. As of Wednesday, there were seven COVID patients in-house, but generally there have been between four and eight patients daily.

"The great thing about it is we have not seen any ICU patients or any deaths during this little uptick of COVID," Turbyfill said.

There are multiple COVID strains circulating at the moment, but the most dominate is EG.5 or "Eris," a subvariant of omicron. Dr. Jennifer Chevinsky, Riverside County's deputy public health officer, explained that because of a mutation in the virus, more people may be susceptible to this strain because it has appeared to evade immunity from past infections.

While the variant has been spreading quickly, data from the World Health Organization does not suggest Eris poses any more of a threat than other current strains.

Most who have come down with COVID-19 have experienced flu-like symptoms, such as runny nose, cough and sore throat, while some have reported a loss of taste or smell, though it's not as common, Turbyfill said.

Similarly, data from Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage shows an increase in positive COVID-19 cases and admissions since July. As of Aug. 10, hospitalizations hovered around 10 people, and Eisenhower reported a 16.5% positivity rate.

Riverside County's COVID-19 dashboard is also "mirroring increases seen across the state," Chevinsky said. The COVID-19 positivity rate as of Thursday is 15%, a significant boost from 6% on July 5.

Daily case counts are no longer a main focus in data collection, she added, as testing has transitioned primarily to over-the-counter antigen tests and those tests go vastly unreported. According to the dashboard, there have been 743,772 cases and 6,901 deaths reported in Riverside County since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"While we had a lull in the earlier summer months, this is a reminder that COVID is still with us. As immunity may be waning, children are going back to school, and people may be returning from summer travels, we are seeing an uptick," Chevinsky said. "After around three years of experience with COVID, the situation is much different now - we have vaccines and treatments and we know what works to help keep our communities safe. Fortunately, we are not seeing a parallel increase in hospitalizations or deaths, and we continue to monitor for long COVID as well."

What to expect this fall and winter

In the last three years, COVID-19 cases skyrocketed in the fall and winter months, often because people spent more time indoors, which made it easier for illness to spread.

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, health officials are preparing for further increases.

"While it can be challenging to predict, in the past, we have seen increased spread in the fall around Halloween time and again during the winter months around the holidays," Chevinsky said. "We need to prepare for this possibility not only with COVID, but respiratory diseases more generally, such as Influenza, and other viruses."

The 2022 winter season experienced a triple threat of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus cases. The youngest to oldest residents were impacted by the three viruses, which led to high hospitalization counts at local health care facilities.

Turbyfill did not have an estimate as to how the later part of the year would look like with COVID and other viruses, but she said she will be monitoring guidelines and any new strategies proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state and county's public health departments.

Whether or not the severity is similar to last year's, Chevinsky said there is "always concern" for older adults and people with immunocompromising or underlying health conditions whenever there is an increase in COVID circulation.

Those wanting to keep track of COVID-19 statistics will notice a few changes with Riverside County's COVID-19 dashboard in the next few weeks. The website will soon be redesigned to better align with state and national data reporting, explained Wendy Hetherington, head of epidemiology and program evaluation for the county. Case level data will be removed, and new methodology and data sources will be used to characterize COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.

The dashboard will continue to be updated weekly on Thursdays.

What to do if you're sick

If you believe you may have COVID or test positive, the CDC suggests several ways to treat the symptoms and stop the spread:

• Stay home and separate from others

• Improve ventilation in your home

• Mask with an N-95 or other high-quality mask when around other people

• Keep up to date on COVID vaccines and boosters

• Monitor symptoms and stay in touch with your healthcare provider

• Take medications and treatments as prescribed

• Rest and use over-the-counter medications to manage symptoms like headache

• Practice hygiene such as washing hands often and cleaning shared surfaces

• Use their testing and treatment location tool to find resources in your area

Those who are experiencing symptoms or test positive for the virus should stay home for at least five days, Turbyfill said. If someone's symptoms are severe, they are advised to speak with their primary care physician or head to the emergency room for further medical treatment.

People seeking additional protection from COVID-19 are in luck as a new booster is coming this fall. The updated formula will target XBB, another subvariant of omicron that has been circulating in recent months, and its additional strains. The shot is expected to be available next month, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccines should still be free for most people even though the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ended in May. To find a vaccine clinic near you, visit www.vaccines.gov

USA Today contributed to this report.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: COVID-19 cases increase in Coachella Valley, Riverside County