COVID-19 cases see typical summer increase for third year in a row
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in El Paso County are on the rise after hitting a low in the spring.
According to El Paso County Public Health's co-medical director Dr. Bernadette Albanese, COVID cases and hospitalizations decreased throughout March and April after a typical winter season. Around mid-May, numbers started to go back up.
While El Paso County is not seeing as significant of an increase as it did from November to January, the increase is steady.
In January, 120 hospitalizations were reported in El Paso County. February saw 94. A significant decrease happened in March with 39 hospitalization reported. April jumped slightly to 41 and May saw 51. Albanese told The Gazette that it is too soon to tell what those numbers look like for June in El Paso County.
"There's no reason to think that our county would be any different than the combined observations that we are seeing around the state and around the country," Albanese said. "Every region of the country has seen an increase up upwards of 10% from the week prior in test positivity."
The county's public health department continuously monitors testing for the virus in wastewater and sewer water. Several sewer sheds in Colorado Springs give samples to the state to be tested.
According to Albanese, the amount of COVID found in the water started to see an increase in the middle of May, correlating well with hospitalization numbers.
"We have multiple data points that tell us this is real," Albanese said.
The county's public health department will continue to watch the numbers through July and into August. COVID typically sees an increase during the wintertime, but unlike other seasonal illness like the flu, it also seems to bump up in the summer.
According to Albanese, this is the third summer in a row of this phenomenon.
"It's not unique to Colorado, and it's not unique around the county," Albanese said. "We are seeing a change in COVID activity across in our county, across the state and in the country."
In the state of Colorado, there were 54 deaths in February due to COVID, 36 in both March and April and 19 in May.
"Can people still die from COVID? The answer is yes," Albanese said.
The main strain of COVID continues to be the omicron variant, according to the public health department. Despite subtle difference, most of the variants going around are still falling under the omicron umbrella.
"The type of omicron variant that was circulating back in March is different than the one circulating now and and it's just our sophisticated testing allows us to distinguish that," Albanese said.
An updated vaccine is currently in the works by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, and will be available in the fall alongside the new flu vaccine. With slight tweaks, the hope is that the updates to the vaccine will allow for a more efficient performance in combating the virus.
El Paso County Public Health wants the community to be aware of the trends so individuals can make informed decisions regarding their health.
The summer travel season is hitting a peak, with lots of visitations happening all over the country to friends and family.
"For some people, they may even choose to change travel plans; they may choose to wear a mask as a way for their own personal health and benefits," Albanese said. "This is information for the public to know and to make a decision for themselves and for their loved ones."
