(WXYZ) — Holiday celebrations are underway, and many people hope they’ll side-step the tridemic viruses. However, the White House is warning Americans that a COVID-19 wave is possible and that we must protect ourselves.Our COVID-19 case numbers are heading in the wrong direction. If you look at the data from the last couple of weeks, COVID-19 cases have risen by 53%. Hospitalizations rose by 31%. We’re also seeing more virus levels in wastewater.Wastewater surveillance detects and measures the amount of virus that is present in certain areas, and it’s often an early indicator when it comes to future surges.But how bad will this winter be? That, we can’t predict. On the plus side, we have widespread vaccination and previous infection, which means we have a decent wall when it comes to immunity.Even if cases do surge, it appears that fewer people will develop severe illness. Still, there are many factors at play. We have new dominant variants: omicron’s BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. And none of the monoclonal antibodies work against them.This could really affect folks who are immunocompromised. Also, we have low booster rates, which means that widespread immunity I just mentioned is fading.The first vaccines went into arms two ye …
White House warns of possible COVID-19 surge this winter, urges vaccines – WXYZ 7 Action News Detroit
