Rates of severe disease may be staying at relatively low levels, but experts agree that there are probably more infections than the current surveillance systems can capture.
“There is more transmission out there than what the surveillance data indicates,” said Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. “And we should be paying attention to it, because we are starting to see an increase.”
Weekly hospital admissions have nearly doubled over the past month, including a 19% bump in the most recent week, CDC data shows. And a sample of laboratories participating in a federal surveillance program show that test positivity rates have tripled in the past two months.
There are some hopeful signs: Biobot data shows that wastewater levels may be starting to flatten, and relatively low hospitalization rates suggest that there may be a lower risk of severe disease for many.
I want to know if there’s a random unrelated bug going around too, or if this new strain just has heavy impact on the back of the throat and that is it. Seems like everyone I work with has had had some weird impossible-to-clear-your-throat virus that doesn’t lead to much coughing or any sneezing so folks aren’t staying home. If that’s the new covid it makes a lot of sense why it would be spreading.
Ugh, I had that a few weeks ago and I still have that catarrh sensation. Gross.
had exactly this, one of my worst illnesses in my life, but neg on the test. similar thing ripped through work
Same here. Took multiple rapid tests, all negative. Maybe the new strain does not work well with the test, or it is an unrelated illness. Canada here BTW.
The mutations in this strain (EG.5) shouldn’t be affecting the rapid-test target. Most kits use both the N -gene and S-gene to account for potential future mutations, and both genes have only small number of point-mutations across those two genes. If you want to waste an afternoon check out outbreak.info and look at the lineage comparison tool.
My experience with the tests has been very mixed. My wife has had COVID multiple times, and she has tested negative many times, both at home and at the doctor and then as she’s starting to recover, around day 4 or 5 she will test positive.
I, in the other hand, have never tested positive although I did feel slightly under the weather for a couple days the last time she had it.