It’s a Covid summer (again)

Plus: Inflation dips, drama among Dems, and more August 15, 2024 [View in browser]( Good morning! Have you noticed friends and family members bowing out of weddings, trips, and weekends at the beach this summer because they have Covid? Feels eerily like a flashback to summer 2021, doesn't it? Despite vaccines and herd immunity, new variants pop up frequently, and this summer, they're causing a surge in cases — the biggest we've seen in some time. The good news: We're generally more protected from serious illness, thanks to vaccines and medicines like Paxlovid. So where did this summer surge come from, and what should you do if you come down with Covid? News reporter Ellen Ioanes is here with some insights from experts. —Lavanya Ramanathan, senior editor   Covid's summer surge, explained [A photo shows a woman getting on DC's Metro wearing a mask in May 2024. ] A woman entering the DC Metro wearing a mask in May. Rosem Morton for the Washington Post via Getty Images We’re presently in what appears to be the [worst Covid-19 summer surge in several years](, especially in the southern US. According to data from the [Centers for Disease Control (CDC)](, all of the metrics related to Covid-19 that we should be worried about are going up — not just cases, but hospitalizations and deaths, too. Even if we’re no longer in the depths of the pandemic, and we have treatments to lessen its severity and vaccines for protection, contracting Covid-19 carries risks. That’s particularly true for people over 65, people with comorbidities like heart or lung disease, or those who are immunocompromised. And the lingering health challenges of [long Covid]( remain a risk. The good news is that on the whole, Americans are much better protected than we once were against serious illness, because most people have been infected, vaccinated, or both. However, it’s still important to take precautions as Covid-19 cases increase [in most states across the US](. Here’s what we know so far about the surge this year, and what you can do to keep yourself and your community healthy. How do we know we're in a summer surge? The Centers for Disease Control has found that cases are increasing or likely increasing in 32 states. This follows a seasonal pattern that’s begun to emerge with Covid. We saw a similar surge last summer, though according to CDC data, cases are [exceeding levels from around this time last year](. “It's not just last summer — even when we were having the pandemic, if you look at the graphs, infection was always very high during the summer and also during the winter,” said [Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire](, assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard’s School of Public Health. We don’t know exactly why the summer surge happens, Corbett-Helaire said. Some of it could be due to the underlying characteristics of the virus, and some due to human behavior, like increased travel. At the moment, [Covid hospitalizations and deaths]( are rising but still relatively low — the latest data shows that 1.5 percent of deaths in the US are the result of Covid, and 2.3 percent of emergency room visits during the week ending August 3 were diagnosed as Covid-19. CDC data comes from a variety of sources. But one important source for tracking transmission rates is wastewater testing, which involves tracking the amount of virus in local sewage. Early in the pandemic, before at-home testing was accessible, data from clinical testing was used to track infection rates. Now, however, fewer Americans are testing and reporting their status, making test-based tracking unreliable. That makes wastewater testing the best available metric for getting a timely picture of the presence of illness in a community, according to [Amesh Adalja](, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It’s kind of becoming the way of the future” and is being used to test for the presence of other illnesses, [including mpox](, he told Vox. And [the wastewater says]( the US is in the midst of a surge approaching infection levels not seen since last winter, which was the worst increase since 2022. What are the variants driving it? And how are they transmitted? There’s no one variant of the virus that’s dominant right now — there’s a group of variants referred to as FLiRT, which come from the [JN.1 variant](. The [name FLiRT]( refers to the technical names for where the mutations that created this variant occurred; in this case, on the spike protein on the virus, which helps it connect to a cell and infect it. LB.1, which has many similarities with the FLiRT variants, but has one additional mutation, is also circulating. LB.1 may be more transmissible than other dominant variants, but experts don’t know that for sure. And, as a CDC spokesperson told Vox, “there are no data at this time indicating that this variant causes more severe COVID-19.” The symptoms, the spokesperson said, are similar to that of other variants. In terms of transmission, not much has changed, either — you can still get these strains of Covid from an infected person if you’re in close quarters with them, especially indoors in a crowded or poorly ventilated space. Masking and vaccination remain the best ways to prevent transmission. [A photo of Noah Lyles, holding his Olympic medal.] Olympian Noah Lyles couldn't even avoid Covid-19. He competed after a positive test. Patrick Smith/Getty Images Sport When are you contagious if you have Covid? FLiRT is no different from other variants when it comes to contagion — you are definitely contagious as long as you are testing positive on an at-home test. You might be contagious one to two days before you have symptoms, though, [and that’s when you tend to be most likely to infect others](. If I have Covid, what should I do? Covid-positive people should isolate until at least 24 hours after their symptoms are improving and they no longer have a fever, [according to the latest CDC guidance]( (which applies to the flu and RSV as well). Do boosters help? Boosters can help prevent the spread of Covid, but [current boosters]( are unlikely to be as effective against the latest variants. Current boosters were formulated to be effective against pre-JN.1 omicron variants, and the lastest mutations hadn’t happened yet when the inoculations now available were released. The good news is a new formulation that targets the FLiRT variants should be available soon, in preparation for a likely winter surge. As for exactly how protective the new vaccine will be against infection, that’s impossible to know: “The last two updates have missed targets in terms of preventing infections, but we know they protect against serious disease and death,” Adalja said. Amid the surge, perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that Covid “is always going to be a threat,” Adalja said. “It’s an endemic respiratory illness that is part of the human condition.” This summer’s surge is making that very clear. —[Ellen Ioanes, world and weekend reporter](   [Listen]( So you toppled an autocrat Bangladeshis are about to find out if a Nobel laureate can run their government better than a nepo baby. [Listen now](   [a photo of a tip jar with a misspelling of tips] CDC/Image Point FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images - A international emergency: A deadly strain of mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is spreading across Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus appeared in the US and other countries in 2022 but was largely contained. Now, [world health officials are facing a challenge reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic]( — vaccine shortages and a lack of resources. (Catch up on Vox’s previous mpox coverage [here](.) - Cyber harassment? Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has filed a lawsuit against X owner Elon Musk and author J.K. Rowling after the controversial figures posted negatively about the now-Olympic gold medalist on social media, stoking transphobic speech against her. [Khelif’s gender identity has been the subject of worldwide speculation](, despite the fact that she is a cisgender woman, and that the International Olympic Committee deemed her qualified to compete and not in violation of any rules. - On the cutting edge: The Federal Reserve may consider cutting interest rates soon. [Inflation, which is now driven mostly by housing costs](, is the lowest it's been since March 2021, falling to 2.9 percent in July. The Consumer Price Index report found that while childcare and home rental costs continue to rise at a higher rate than prices overall, inflation is much lower than it was at its peak in June 2022. - Throwback Thursday, but make it tasteless: Blake Lively continues to make headlines as the It Ends With Us press tour drama plays out. Has the actress won in the court of public opinion versus director [Justin Baldoni, who just hired a crisis publicist]( — even though no one has acknowledged a feud? Not so fast: Many are suddenly remembering Lively’s own past missteps — her 2012 plantation wedding to Ryan Reynolds and [her antebellum fashion magazine spread]( in particular. [Blake Lively smiling at her movie premiere] Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Sony Pictures - Break it down now, y’all: Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian breakdancer, has been the subject of ridicule for her controversial performance at the Paris Olympics last weekend. But when you take a [closer look at her track record]( and the stylistic confines of the breaking world, it’s easier to understand how she earned her slot at the Games — by taking a chance on herself and her art. - Big bill energy: There are plenty of reasons your electricity costs might be rising. Inflation, extreme weather, growing energy demands, and other factors could contribute to more expensive charges. The solution? [Do an energy audit, and make a plan to use less electricity]( as costs continue to rise and climate change across the country affects the power grid. - Are travel prices at an all-time high? It sure feels that way. Purchasing tickets last-minute, extra airline and hotel fees, and feeling priced out of premium travel perks is contributing to consumer frustration. [Leisure has never been more stressful](. And elsewhere... Pre-DNC drama: President Joe Biden is feeling snubbed by his colleagues. According to leaks from people close to him, he’s frustrated that fellow Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and his close friend former President Barack Obama didn’t come to him directly about their concerns after his poor debate performance in late June. Let’s hope these tensions have cooled by the convention next week, especially because Biden is scheduled to appear. [[Politico](] Who else is turning up at the convention? The rumor mill is holding out for Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, but nothing has been confirmed by their camps yet. For now, celebs like John Legend, Lil Jon, and some cast members from RuPaul’s Drag Race are confirmed to be in attendance in Chicago next week. [[The New York Times](] [Advertisements for DNC 2024.] Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images   Ad   Go see Dìdi, already Not super interested in It Ends With Us or Deadpool & Wolverine? Senior editorial director Julia Rubin and senior audience strategy editor Shira Tarlo both suggest seeing Dìdi in theaters. Directed by Sean Wang and inspired by his childhood, the coming-of-age film is a beautiful picture of the summer of 2008, set in the Bay Area. “This summer, I've found myself seeking out smaller films (and movie theater AC in sweltering Brooklyn, of course),” says Rubin. “I loved Dìdi, set in the same decade I too came of age AIMing my crushes and listening to Motion City Soundtrack. It’s sweet and nostalgic and does not make me want to be 14 again, though … does it?” “One of the strangest things about getting older is seeing your coming-of-age reflected in film. For me, Dìdi felt like the first of its kind,” added Tarlo. [The cast of Didi on a blue carpet posing for a photo.] The cast of Dìdi at a screening in San Francisco in April. Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images   Are you enjoying the Today, Explained newsletter? Forward it to a friend; they can [sign up for it right here](. And as always, we want to know what you think. Specifically: If there is a topic you want us to explain or a story you’re curious to learn more about, let us know [by filling out this form]( or just replying to this email. Today’s edition was produced and edited by senior editor Lavanya Ramanathan, with contributions from staff editor Melinda Fakuade. 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