Here We Go Again: COVID-19 Cases about to Surge Again in New York
COVID-19 infections are back on the rise, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting "very high" viral activity nationwide.
New York officials say the state is seeing elevated COVID infections, but not nearly as bad as the rest of the country. In fact, New York is just one of five states reporting "moderate" viral activity.
The rest of the nation is enduring "high" and "very high" viral levels, according to the CDC. Maine is among the 27 states experiencing the strongest surges, while neighboring Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Vermont are experiencing "high" levels, as are 14 others.
This shouldn't come as that much of a shock since cases have been having an unprecedented rise over the summer.
Read More: Why Is COVID-19 Spreading Much More Rapidly in NY This Summer?
State and local health officials are preparing for New York to catch up with the rest of the country, which is typical, but they note current levels aren't nearly as rough as what they see during the colder months.
Current state testing data finds Jefferson County with the highest number of confirmed cases. A rise in cases have also been reported in Tioga, Suffolk, Nassau, Sullivan, Orange, Broome, Putnam, and Chenango County.
The regions with the lowest number of reported cases are Western New York and the Albany area.
It is likely the data isn't precise as New York State ended its public health emergency last year, which deeply limited the resources available for more accurate testing. That included the availability of public COVID testing and free take-home tests; so the numbers could be higher than reported.
Neil Katz, Founder and CEO of Exceptional HR Solutions, joined Keeler on Tuesday to discuss the uncanny rise in respiratory illnesses as of late and said Americans have a nasty habit of hiding the fact that they're sick and possibly contagious.
Katz said the trends seen during the pandemic are the "exact opposite" now when it comes to sick employees. "It's shifted back to a different time and I think it's a lot of pressure on the workforce in the amount of work that needs to be achieved. And I think employers are looking at it differently, too," he said.
Katz advocated for companies to re-adopt the policy of allowing sick employees to stay or work from home to prevent bringing the illness into the office and infecting others.
An outbreak could really cost a company a lot more than one person being out. Imagine a team of eight people and one person comes in sick. The next thing you know you lost a team of six for 2, 3, even four days. What's the productivity at that time?
Warned Katz, "The workforce and productivity will go down as a result of this [trend]."
You can listen to the full interview below:
With the summer surge still going strong, health officials are trying to read the tea leaves about what this winter will look like.
Ahead of the expected fall and winter COVID surges, the Food and Drug Administration is preparing to roll out reformulated boosters in the coming months to help combat the newer variants. These shots are engineered to combat the omicron strain and its variants, which make up nearly half of all estimated cases in the country.
The omicron offshoots KP.2, KP3.1.1 and KP.3 are the most dominant in the United States. The latter evolved from the JN.1 variant that infected countless Americans over the holidays last year.
These variants are more contagious, but their symptoms aren't as dangerous as the original strain of COVID-19. Symptoms of these "KP" offshoots include fever, chills, congestion, cough, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, body aches, diarrhea, nausea, headache, and shortness of breath.
However, the CDC warns Americans to be on the lookout for these particular symptoms, as they may be red flags that their case may be more severe. Symptoms include trouble breathing, pressure in the chest, confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, and skin that looks pale, gray, or blue - especially around nail beds and the lips.
Former MVHS Chief Physician Executive Dr. Kent Hall expects COVID-19 to keep evolving to favor its more infectious traits and become less lethal over time.
Read More: WHO Shares Chilling 20-Year COVID Prediction for New York
"The virus has evolved... And this is what viruses do. Their whole reason to live is to propagate," he explained to Keeler last month. "If they were so bad that they killed everybody right away, then actually that would be detrimental to their lifespan."
That is why vaccines are important, he said, as they help boost herd immunity while chipping away at the less infectious yet more lethal variants.
Dr. Hall also says COVID will never go away, and the world will have to learn to deal with it as it does with other seasonal illnesses like the flu or the common cold.
For those who test positive for the virus, current guidance calls for infected individuals to stay home and away from others for at least 24 hours after symptoms first subside
As Katz mentioned, don't be a hero and come into work if you know you're sick. Your coworkers will most likely thank you.
