COVID's annual summer wave is back. Here's what's behind it - USA Today
COVID-19 cases are rising across the United States as part of a predictable summer surge pattern. Health experts note that while infections are increasing from a low baseline, the virus has established a consistent seasonal cycle.
Why it matters
Understanding the seasonal nature of COVID-19 helps public health officials and citizens prepare for recurring waves of illness.
Hear this story Just as many Americans squeeze in the last weeks of summer, COVID-19 is staging a return , according to health experts.
The virus has settled into a pattern of rising cases each summer and winter, and this year's warm-weather wave of illness, known as the "summer surge," is already underway.
"COVID-19 is rising nationally but from a low baseline. As of the latest, CDC estimated infections were growing or likely growing in 47 states, led generally by the South and West," Dr. Syra Madad, infectious disease epidemiologist at Harvard’s Belfer Center and chief biopreparedness officer for New York City's public hospitals, told USA TODAY. "The increase became apparent in parts of the South and West during July and more clearly nationwide by late July and early August."
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