As summer travel picks up, so do COVID-19 cases, according to state wastewater analysis, which shows an uptick over the past week. Health experts attribute half of the new cases to new variants and increased travel.
“There are several reasons for the rise in cases. We have a more transmissible variant, people’s immunity is waning, and fewer people have received vaccines compared to a year ago,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
Despite the increase, current case numbers are less than one-third of what they were at this time last year.
Chin-Hong emphasized the importance of vaccination in protecting against the virus.
“It’s not too worrisome for the general population, but I am concerned about older adults and those who are immunocompromised, especially if they haven’t had a vaccine in the last year,” he advised.