All signs point to a late summer COVID wave

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If you’ve noticed a sudden rise in the number of people wearing masks while you’re out and about lately, here’s why:

COVID-19 is on the upswing once again, according to closely watched metrics.

The late summer spread comes as a new variant, EG.5, is now the dominant form in the U.S., per CDC estimates — though it’s unclear if that variant is directly responsible for the rising numbers.

Simply put, our guard is down.

Many of us put COVID in our rearview mirrors, leaving us both mentally and practically ill-prepared for another wave.

“Experts warn the U.S. is lacking critical tools to help manage future waves,” as Axios’ Sabrina Moreno recently reported.

The average COVID-19 hospitalization rate nationwide rose about 17% between June and July, per the latest available CDC data.

With so little testing happening these days compared to the height of the pandemic, hospitalization rates are now one of the best proxies for estimating broader viral spread.

In both percentage change and raw terms, hospitalizations remain far below their pandemic-era peak.
Nationally, hospitalizations are down 82% year over year.

The CDC reports 10,320 overall hospital admissions in the week between July 30-Aug. 5, compared to more than 150,000 in one week in January 2022.