Despite the COVID-19 pandemic being brought under control, the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to circulate strongly around the world. Maria Van Kerkhove, director of disease preparedness at the World Health Organization (WHO), said on August 6 that the rate of COVID-19 positivity has been increasing for several weeks, based on data from 84 countries. Notably, wastewater surveillance, an early forecasting method, suggests that the actual level of virus circulation could be 2 to 20 times higher than officially reported figures.
COVID-19 has also affected athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Many athletes, despite being in good shape, have experienced severe fatigue when infected with COVID-19. A typical example is American sprinter Noah Lyles, who confirmed that he had the virus but still competed in the 200m race on August 8. He had previously felt very sick on August 6 and was confirmed to have the disease after testing. In addition, British swimmer Adam Peaty also tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after winning a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke.
In the United States, health officials are warning of a new wave of COVID-19, especially as students head back to school. Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist, said that while hospitals are no longer overwhelmed by herd immunity, the spread of the virus remains a major concern. She recommended that people continue to wear masks on public transportation and get new vaccines, including flu and COVID-19 vaccines, to protect their health this fall and winter.
The WHO also warned of a sharp decline in vaccination rates, particularly among health care workers and the elderly – groups most at risk. A WHO report in June 2024 found that vaccination rates among these groups were very low, at just 0.42% among the elderly and 0.17% among health workers. This decline in vaccinations was partly due to less media coverage of COVID-19, and many people felt sufficiently protected after initial vaccination campaigns.
In response to new variants of the virus, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that people get a new, updated COVID-19 vaccine that is more effective against current variants, including the Omicron variant JN.1. The vaccine will be available in August or September with options from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax.