Covid is back in Washington just in time for your summer vacation

As Covid continues to settle into everyday life, health experts are noticing it has certain patterns, and a few other changes from the first few years the virus struck.

Summer Covid is a thing. This is not what health officials expected from the virus. Sure, there's the common winter cold and flu season. Many expected Covid to align with that timing and join the other respiratory viruses, but it seems the pattern Covid has settled into is to spike during winter, and then again in summer, just as you get ready to go on vacation.

"For the first two years, I said, 'Oh ya know, this is just an anomaly.' But now as we head in to year three of this, it's clear that we are having summer Covid," Dr. Helen Chu with the University of Washington Medicine told Seattle Now.

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"We are heading into a summer surge," she added. "If you remember from the last couple of years, there is a large winter surge, and then there is often a smaller, but still significant, surge in mid- to late-summer. So, we're heading into that now."

Officials began noticing Covid cases were on the rise in early June. Viral levels in wastewater, both nationally and in Washington state, were getting higher and higher. The CDC currently states the national level of Covid is "low," based on viral testing of wastewater. Chu reported that the viral levels are highest in the Northeast, Florida, and California, "but we're not far behind." As of early June, Washington state was trending slightly higher than the national average.

Chu said visits to emergency rooms for Covid have also been increasing in Washington. Covid hospitalizations are not up, but she noted those numbers usually lag behind the rise in cases and emergency room visits.

"As we head into summer travel season, you don't want to ruin your vacation. So, remember doing the things we did in the past — wearing a mask in crowded spaces, testing yourself if you're symptomatic if you are gathering with loved ones, especially those who are more vulnerable," she said.

Looking at Washington's Covid dashboard, the surge in Covid cases heading into summer 2024 is not nearly as severe as the spikes during the pandemic era. Still, Chus said it's worth noting for those who are more vulnerable — immunocompromised people and older adults. Chu stressed that such groups should keep up-to-date on their Covid booster shots. While the Covid booster vaccine expected in the fall is designed for the current strain causing the spike in cases (JN1), vulnerable groups should be boosted as soon as possible.

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Summer surges are just one aspect of Covid that health experts are beginning to notice, though Chu expects that it will continue to evolve.

There are some changes to the illness in 2024 that stray from previous seasons.

"One thing that is a little bit different than we've seen over the last few years, is that the number of people reporting loss of sense of taste or smell is decreasing," Chu said. "Also, the proportions of people developing long Covid after their infections is going down."

"It tells us that we are not at a steady state with this virus yet," she added. "Right now, we're still learning how to interact with it, how our immune systems are responding to it, and whether or not the population as a whole just doesn't have long-lasting immunity that gets us through until the next season. So, we're seeing these little surges that are happening every summer. It may take much longer to get to a state where we see Covid turn into a normal seasonal respiratory virus like flu or RSV."

KUOW's Dyer Oxley contributed to this article.