COVID cases and illnesses are rising in Los Angeles County as the summer vacation season gets underway, and some of those who have just been infected are finding their most recent match to be the worst however.
There are no indications right now that the most recent coronavirus variants, either locally or nationwide, are causing more severe illness. While L.A. hospitalizations for COVID are also rising. County, and are now higher than they were at this same place next year, they remain below the relatively , mild , top seen in summers 2023.
But specialists have always warned that, though later COVID infections are usually minor compared with a first brush with the condition, they may also cause , serious illness. Even if someone does n’t need to visit the emergency room or be hospitalized, people describe painful, even agonizing symptoms.
” The doctrine is that every moment you get COVID, it’s lighter. However, I believe we must keep our minds open to the possibility that some people may experience worse ailments, according to UC San Francisco infectious diseases specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.
Each moment getting COVID, he said, is “kind of like playing COVID roulette”.
It’s difficult to quantify how many people are experiencing more severe symptoms right now compared to their prior infections because everyone’s encounter with COVID is unique and influenced by a number of factors. But interestingly, including on social media sites, citizens are expressing surprise at how ill they’ve become from the latest subvariants, which have been , cooperatively nicknamed FLiRT.
” I’ve had COVID a few times but this is the worst I’ve had it”, wrote one individual on , Reddit. The person described having persistent sinus pressure and headaches, as well as a congested person who could n’t breathe out of their nose.
” Previously COVID just felt like the common cold, but this strain is]wreaking ] havoc”, the person wrote. ” I do n’t like to complain like this, but I’m shocked at how much it’s taking me out”.
Another person , wrote , that their” mouth feels like razors swords” and that they feel like they’re “in living pain”.
My neck is on fire, which makes my mouth hurt so much, but I have so much phlegm! the person , wrote. ” I swear I feel like this is the worst it’s possibly been because this is my fourth day having Covid!” “!
This summer, others who had been avoiding COVID for more than four times got sick.
After hosting a group of 12 people for Father’s Day, one man developed a sick condition and positive results for the first time. The person , described , “uncontrollable body-shaking chills so bad I could n’t feel most of my fingertips”.
A 42-year-old caregiver, who has had COVID four days,  , said , their latest disease has been “intense with colds, cough, mind pressure and pain. It’s attacking my neck and ability to swallow”.
People, though, have said each successive COVID disease has been , easier to return from. And one first-time infected person , wrote , that they had” super mild symptoms]that ] just feels like a seasonal allergy” flare-up.
Some studies support the notion that reoccurring COVID infections raise extra challenges. A 2022 , report , in the journal Nature Medicine, focused on soldiers, found that,” Compared to noninfected]people], combined challenges and burdens of repeat infections increased according to the amount of infections”, heightening the risk of health problems, treatment and dying.
And while the prevalence of long COVID appears to be , declining, doctors note there is risk of developing the syndrome with each infection. A , report , published by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last summer said the prevalence of long COVID among U. S. adults was 7.5 % in early June 2022, but had decreased as of mid-June 2023 to 6 % — still a notable share of the population.
There are a number of possible causes of a subsequent COVID illness that might feel worse than the first. Let’s say a person who was last immunised in 2021 was last immunised in 2022 and then again in 2024. The relatively long gap of not being exposed to infection, or a booster, “maybe led to]their body ] not having as much immune memory. And since the variants have changed so much, it’s like being exposed to a virus that the immune system has previously seen, Chin-Hong said.
A recent infection may cause the body to react pleasantly to the FLiRT subvariants that are now prevalent throughout the country without staying up to date on COVID vaccinations, which “remind the immune system of what the more current variants look like.”
” It’s evolved so much, and the body is, like,’ O-M-G, what is this thing that I’m seeing?'” Chin-Hong said.
The logic is similar to annual flu shots, which are created annually in an effort to prepare the body for the dominant circulating strains of the virus.
An estimated 70.5 % of COVID specimens were from the FLiRT subvariants, also known as KP, for the week that ended on Saturday. 3, KP. 2 and KP. 1.1— up from 54.9 % a month earlier. Another closely related subvariant, LB. 1, is estimated to comprise 14.9 % of specimens, up from 10 % a month earlier.
Many people can still be adequately protected from serious illness by prior immunity from old vaccinations. However, Chin-Hong claimed that the immune system “probably wo n’t be able to stop the virus in its tracks, or neutralize the virus as soon as it comes in, because it looks so different, before kicking in memory immunity.”
” In the meantime”, he added,” this virus is infecting cells happily, while the body is trying to use its current memory to make new immune cells”.
It’s also notable that, even for younger adults who are considered up-to-date on their COVID immunizations, it’s been nearly a year since their last vaccination, and the effectiveness of the vaccine weakens over time.
A , report , published by the CDC in February found that getting the updated 2023–24 COVID vaccine offered about 54 % more protection against symptomatic illness than not getting the shot. In the first few months following the updated shot, the vaccine’s ability to treat symptomatic infections is higher.
The vaccines continued to offer effective protection from death and hospitalization.
In L. A. County, COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to rise. For the week ending June 30, there were an average of 229 coronavirus cases a day reported, up from 106 a month earlier. And for the week ending June 29, there were an average of 197 coronavirus-infected people in hospitals per day, up from 117 a month earlier.
Officially reported cases are an undercount, as they only factor in tests done at medical facilities, and do n’t account for at-home tests or those who do n’t test. In L. A. County, last summer’s COVID spike peaked in late August at 571 cases a day, and hit a maximum of 620 coronavirus-infected people per day in hospitals in early September.
Viral levels in L. A. The stability of county wastewater For the week that ended June 22, the most recent available, viral levels in sewage were at 17 % of the peak from the winter of 2022–23, the same as the prior week. Last summer peaked in early September, where viral levels in sewage were at 38 % of the prior winter’s peak.
Coronavirus tests return with positive results every day in California, increasing at a rate that continues to rise. For the week ending July 1, 10.6 % of coronavirus tests statewide came back positive, up from 4.1 % a month earlier. Last summer’s positive test rate peaked at 13.1 %, toward the end of August.
The updated COVID vaccine, which became available in September, has a relatively low uptake rate. Since then, 36.7 % of California’s seniors age 65 and up have received at least one dose of the , updated , vaccine, as have 18.5 % of adults age 50 to 64, and 10 % of the youngest adults, up to age 49.
For people who have n’t gotten an updated vaccine within the last year, “you should think about getting it, especially if you’re older and immune compromised”, Chin-Hong said. Seniors and immune-compromised people are the most at risk, with hundreds of COVID deaths reported nationally each week.
Even now, getting the 2023-24 vaccine will still enable you to receive the updated COVID vaccination, which is scheduled to be available this fall. The CDC will , recommend , everyone 6 months and older get the updated 2024-25 version of the vaccine.
A good time to get the 2024-25 COVID vaccination is in October, Chin-Hong said.
Chin-Hong argued that even healthcare professionals should be reminded of proper COVID infection control protocols, such as the need to test patients and report illnesses to their employers.
” It’s like everybody seems to be thinking COVID is just like normal now”, Chin-Hong said. However, taking wise steps can make a huge difference in keeping COVID out of a smaller number of people, like coworkers choosing not to work when sick and self-testing when symptomatic.
And with COVID rising, it’s also a reminder that it’s sensible to keep a mask in your pocket to don if you happen to be near an ill person, Chin-Hong said.
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