How to navigate symptoms, variants and vaccines this season

It’s the summer of 2024, but the COVID-19 pandemic still persists. And although the virus continues to evolve, it does so in more predictable ways.

There are new variants in town, a reformulated vaccine on the horizon, and new preventative treatments to help protect the most vulnerable people from getting seriously ill from COVID. Risk groups are now the main focus of the US COVID strategy – rather than the comprehensive, one-size-fits-all approach taken in the early days of the pandemic – meaning there may be less for the average, healthy person to do. But awareness is key to staying healthy, experts say, so it’s more important than ever to know how at risk you are.

Here’s what you should know about COVID this summer.

FliRT variants are now dominant. What does that mean?

A variant of the COVID virus known as KP.3 is now responsible for about a quarter of cases in the US, which is more than any other form, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. KP.3 recently overtook its close relative, KP.2, but both belong to a group known as FLiRT variants. All of these cousins ​​are descendants of omicron, the most easily spread variant of the disease that has swept the world since late 2021.

However, the FLiRT variants are “different enough from the latest omicron variant that protection is also not very durable relative to the current vaccine,” which was based on that variant, XBB.1.5, Dr., an infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told Yahoo Life. “This is the new normal. New variants will continually appear and have the ability to infect a population that already has a lot of previous immunity; This is what we must hope for now and forever.”

But the good news is that the new dominant variants don’t appear to be more likely to cause serious illness, hospitalization or death, Adalja says.

What are the symptoms associated with KP.3?

The symptoms are essentially the same regardless of which variant you contract, says Adalja. “Everyone talks about these changes in symptoms,” he says Dr., chief of the division of infectious diseases at the University of California, San Diego. “But in reality, it’s the good old cough, fever, sore throat, malaise or malaise… the same old stuff since the start of the pandemic.” The New York Times also reports patients generally feeling “blah.” According to CDCCommon symptoms include:

A new vaccine is coming this fall. Who should wait and who should get vaccinated now?

O CDC advises that everyone aged 5 and over should receive a dose of one of the current COVID vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax. Younger children, adults 65 and older and immunocompromised people may need multiple doses, the agency says.

However, with a new round of vaccines expected to be available this fall, experts’ advice is a little more complicated. If they don’t get a dose of the current vaccine, “most people will probably be able to delay,” Adalja says. “If you take it now, you may mitigate the effect of the new vaccine in the fall.” The FDA has requested that vaccine manufacturers update their vaccines for the fall to be effective against the JN.1 lineage, from which the FLiRT variants are descended.

For most people, Adalja says getting a shot this summer will vary “on a case-by-case basis” and advises considering:

• How long has it been since your last vaccination

• How high are the risks of severe COVID

• What risk category do you belong to (e.g. elderly, overweight people, people with chronic health conditions, immunosuppressed people)

• How long has it been since your last COVID infection

• If you are pregnant

Smith says anyone 65 and older should get a dose of the current vaccine if they haven’t already. “The summer wave is coming and the vaccine offers a lot of protection against the virus. [FliRT] variants,” he told Yahoo Life. “People who are relatively healthy and not older can decide for themselves. But if you don’t, there’s a good chance you’ll get infected in the summer wave.”

Will there be a sudden spike in the summer?

Most likely yes, and cases have already started to increase. The rate of positive COVID tests increased to 4.5% during the week ending June 1, compared to a 3.8% positivity rate in the previous two weeks, according to CDC data. And visits to emergency departments due to COVID increased by 16.2% in the week ending June 1st. But hospitalizations and deaths remained stable.

The first signs of an increase are already appearing in wastewater monitoring, with hot spots in areas of the Northeast, South, West and Hawaii, according to Time. Wastewater monitoring can offer a preview of how many people have COVID (or other infectious diseases) before the test positivity rate starts to change.

“The wave is starting…but who knows if we will have the big summer waves like we have had every summer since [the COVID pandemic] started,” says Smith. Adalja states that, with the arrival of a new variant, an increase in COVID cases is expected. “It’s nothing uncontrollable in the healthcare system, but it is an increase,” he says.

What else should people do to stay safe?

Both experts warn that whenever you spend time in crowded places, there is still some risk of contracting COVID, especially amid the FLiRT-fueled summer surge. This doesn’t mean everyone has to stay at home, simply that you should know your risks and do what you can to mitigate them.

“The number one behavior we should ingrain in our culture is: If you’re sick, stay home,” says Smith. “The other side is also true: we have to be more forgiving when someone says I don’t feel well and I don’t think I should go in [to work] or go to this event. We need to be grateful to this person for taking care of us, not exposing us to COVID or anything else they might have.”

Are the testing guidelines still the same?

Yes the CDC Still Recommends Testing if you have symptoms of COVID or know you have been exposed to someone with the virus. “If you don’t feel well, you need to get tested,” says Smith. If your initial at-home test is negative, the CDC says the best way to be sure you’re COVID-free is to get a second test within 48 hours if you have symptoms and three at-home tests if you don’t have symptoms.

However, you will no longer be able to request free testing from the US government. The program was discontinued in March 2024. Private insurers are also no longer required to pay for tests. But some insurers still cover the tests, as do Medicaid and Medicare.

And what should I do if I succeed?

The CDC relaxed its recommendations to quarantine after a positive test in March, and now only suggests people stay home and away from others if they have symptoms. If you have no fever and no symptoms for at least 24 hours, you do not need to stay home.

Smith recommends that “if you test positive, you will need to talk to a doctor about whether or not you need treatment.” However, he adds that we still don’t have good treatments for COVID, with Paxlovid being the only approved drug for COVID. “It’s not like Tamiflu, where you get better faster, but it’s actually about preventing serious illnesses,” says Adalja. O CDC advises that Paxlovid – which requires a prescription – should be given to people at high risk of becoming seriously ill. Paxlovid should be taken five to seven days after symptoms develop.

But for most people, the agency says you can recover at home and use over-the-counter medications, including acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to help manage symptoms.