It’s almost June, and Covid cases are surging again — powered by a rising tide of omicron subvariants currently circulating the U.S.

A country-wide average seven-day increase in daily Covid cases has seen a dramatic rise above 100,000According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Friday was the highest day for this number. This is more than three times the number of hospitalizations compared to this time last year. Although hospitalizations were relatively low for the current wave, infectious disease experts fear that this unpredictable virus may cause an increase in Covid-related deaths.

Northwell Health infectious disease specialist, Dr. Bruce Hirsch tells us that “I have no idea”. CNBC Make It.“But, I believe things will get worse and then they’re going back to being better.”

Recent uptick in demand is attributable to at least four highly infectious subvariantsAll cases of Covid’s Omicron variant have reached the U.S. since many of America’s pandemic restrictions had been lifted. Hirsch says he’s hopeful that cases will hit a low point in July and August, an ideal time for many Americans — especially those who face the highest risk of severe Covid infections — to take vacations.

It’s not an absolute guarantee. However, warmer weather, people who spend more time outside, and where the transmission rates are lower, cannot do much to stop the growth of subvariants and waning immunity after vaccinations or infections, and the removal of mask-wearing. Dr. Timothy BrewerProfessor of medicine at UCLA’s David Geffen School, in the Division of Infectious Diseases.

Brewer states, “Vaccination rates have been falling since the introduction of…” Covid booster shots,These have been shown to prevent hospitalizations.[O]Only about half of all eligible adults received one booster and only 20% received two boosters. “Sixty-six% are fully vaccinated,” says he.

Brewer agrees roughly with Hirsch’s projection. Assuming that a newer, more transmissible Covid type doesn’t soon appear, Covid case numbers should fall during the summer. They will then rise as the temperatures drop and children return to school. Local surges could still happen, as people travel between areas with higher and lower rates of Covid infections — much like Los Angeles’s summer surge last AugustFor example,

These summer spikes should be less intense this year because more people have some type of vaccination- or infection-induced immunity. Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Barouch said that it was difficult to know what would happen.

He noted that the virus was “very unpredictable”.

Omicron-specific vaccines — which are currently in development by Pfizer and Moderna — could potentially help limit the rate of infections. Barouch said that there is no data yet on whether variant-specific vaccines offer any advantages over current Covid vaccines.

If the effectiveness of omicron specific vaccines is proven, then they will most likely be readily available by fall 2022. Brewer suggests that you get vaccinated and boosted before going on vacation this summer. Brewer also recommends using N95 respirators and well-fitted surgical helmets in public transport, indoor spaces, or on the streets. no longer has a federal mask mandate.

Brewer states that if you are over 50, or have immunocompromised patients, it is worth “considering getting another booster.”

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