Covid’s Summer Wave Returns Even as Hospitalizations Remain Low

Covid-19 cases are rising in the US, but disease experts say this isn’t cause for alarm.

That’s because the virus is getting weaker over time. Americans also have a lot of residual immunity from previous Covid infections and vaccinations, which is lessening the impact of what’s still a fast-spreading virus.

The current dominant subvariants are “very contagious” but “not more severe,” said William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University. While the level of Covid remnants found in wastewater — a proxy for infections — indicate parts of the US are surpassing last summer’s surge, hospitalizations remain low. ...