Adrianna Rodriguez

USA TODAY

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/05/09/covid-endemic-what-experts-say-americans-should-expect-summer/9645556002/

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The past two pandemic summers saw a spikein COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and death, but this season may be different.

Though health experts expect cases to rise, they said thewave won’t be as devastating as the previous two summers or the surge of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Unlike the previous summers, most of the U.S. population has some immunity against the coronavirus from vaccines, boosters and previous infections. People have access to antivirals that can prevent hospitalizations in the unvaccinated.

However, immunity wanes and new variants could evade what protection remains.

“I know we all want to be done with COVID, but I don’t think it’s done with us,” said Dr. Jessica Justman, associate professor of medicine in epidemiology and senior technical director of ICAP at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

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