COVID-19’s summer surge has taken many urgent care centers by surprise. Respiratory viruses usually ramp up in October and continue on through late winter. However, record-high heat across the country could be driving more people to cool off indoors where the virus is more likely to spread. As of August 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 32 states. Meanwhile, the reported weekly positivity rates for testing are above 17%, and wastewater viral activity is “very high.” The country is still a month or more away from being ready to deliver updated COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
Where are we at now? It’s now week 32 of 2024. According to aggregated national patient data from Experity’s EMR, assembled by Alan Ayers, President of Experity Consulting and Senior Editor of The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine, there has been a steady week-over-week increase in COVID-19 activity since Memorial Day at the end of May. While early August numbers hit a level not seen since the end of February, trends are still 25% below the seasonal peak in January.
IKYMI
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