ATLANTA — The summer of 2024 is already bringing soaring temperatures to much of the country along with something else that has become almost a given: a seasonal COVID-19 wave. Cases are growing or likely growing in 39 states including Georgia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signaling that a summer bump is underway. The CDC no longer tracks COVID case numbers but estimates the trend of the virus spread based on emergency room visits.
Levels of virus found in wastewater samples, often an early signal of rising COVID cases, have also been rising in Georgia according to CDC surveillance. But it’s not clear if that means cases will continue to surge. And while the rise is not too surprising with people traveling and gathering indoors where it’s cooler, health experts and doctors expect this season’s illnesses to be milder than some past versions of the virus.
But the latest iterations of the ever-evolving coronavirus seem to be more contagious. Dr. Luke Lathrop, chief medical officer at SmartMED Drive-Thru Medical Care in Roswell, Georgia,k said he has seen a “small but notable rise” in COVID cases in recent days.
Of the roughly 30 patients seen there Monday, seven tested positive for the virus. That’s up from one or two a day in recent months. Symptoms from the latest variants circulating are familiar and include sore throat, runny nose, coughing, head and body aches, fever, fatigue, and in more severe cases, shortness of breath.
For m.
