The United States is grappling with its most severe summer COVID wave in over two years, resulting in a significant uptick in infections and hospital visits. The wastewater dashboard of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that viral activity levels in the wastewater have hit the highest since July 2022. The wastewater activity surged to 8.82 on August 10, slightly less than the highest ever recorded in July 2022 at 9.56.
US media reports indicate that new vaccines targeting the latest KP.2 virus variant could hit the markets as early as September, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The CDC’s latest data shows a troubling increase in the COVID-19 hospitalization rate, which has risen to 4 people per 100,000 by the end of July, up from just 1 per 100,000 at the end of May.
Expert insights
“This is a very significant surge. The levels are very high. They’re the highest we’ve ever seen during a summer wave,” stated Dr. Marlene Wolfe, an assistant professor of environmental health and public health at Emory University and a program director for WastewaterSCAN, during an interview with CNN. “We’re detecting SARS-CoV-2 in 100 percent of our samples across the country right now,” Wolfe added.
Causes and concerns
The new surge is being attributed to waning immunity among the population and the emergence of three variants that evolved from their parent virus JN.1. The situation has become increasingly volatile as children return to schools in many regions, raising concerns about when the country might see the peak of this wave.
A report in The Washington Post has revealed that new mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, specifically designed to combat the KP.2 variant, could be available by the first week of September, once they receive FDA approval. The timeline for FDA approval remains uncertain. Additionally, a protein-based vaccine is being developed by Novavax, though it may take longer to reach the market.
This ongoing situation underscores the importance of continued vigilance and rapid response as the US navigates through this challenging phase of the pandemic.