Should you be concerned about the COVID-19 surges that are happening in other parts of the world? Joe Gastaldo, MD, System Medical Director for Infectious Diseases answers the question.
Obviously, COVID-19 is still in the news. When you look at some countries, the statistics are very concerning. Specifically, when you look at China (Hong Kong), South Korea, and other countries in Asia, they are having their first Omicron surge, which is what we went through this past winter.
What’s going on in Europe is a little uptick in their community cases with BA.2, a more transmissible subvariant. BA.2 is not the only reason there may be an increase in cases.
Another reason includes the fact that nobody’s really wearing masks anymore. With a de-escalation of messaging on masking in public, it makes common sense that we’re likely to see not only COVID-19 cases go up, but also other respiratory viruses.
Finally, with vaccinations, people’s immunity from infection will diminish as their antibody levels fall the further people are out from their vaccinations.
Want to learn more about common COVID-19 questions? Check out our Fast Facts page.
