Public health officials are warning of a mild summer surge in Covid, as hot weather pushes people inside and others engage in summer travels and events. But recent changes to the disease-fighting infrastructure in the US, including the end of the federal Covid public health emergency, may be getting in the way of assessing the extent of the threat.
According to the most recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control, for the week ending in 22 July, hospitalisations were up 12 per cent from Covid, while emergency department visits were up 17 per cent, though deaths were still the lowest since the agency began keeping track, and hospitalisations were at nearly a sixth of their level during this same period last year.
