COVID-19 cases are up, but panic is low – KEYE TV CBS Austin

COVID-19 antigen home tests indicating a positive result are photographed in New York, April 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TND)

Just a couple years ago, the idea of that statement threw much of society into panic and confusion.

Am I at risk? Should I get tested? Should I travel? Should I wear a mask? Have I gotten the latest vaccine?

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But this year, COVID-19 seems to be getting grouped in with the other seasonal respiratory viruses, like influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

As we head into the winter months and holiday season, cases of all three viruses are increasing. According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, in the past four weeks, hospitalizations across all groups increased by 200% for influenza, 60% for RSV and 51% for COVID-19.

Theres also talk of a new coronavirus subvariant JN.1. Its now the fastest growing strain in the U.S., making up 20% of new COVID-19 infections. In the Northeast, its the dominant variant.

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JN.1 is another descendant of the Omicron strain weve been seeing since 2022, and so far, theres no evidence it causes any more severity in infections than the other strains did.

The CDC has said COVID symptoms these days typically depend more on someones level of immunity than the variant itself.

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And, according to an article published in Nature Reviews Microbiology, were fairly immune, whether we got vaccinated or infected, or both. Researchers say this has resulted in a vastly decreased overall risk of severe disease.

The government unleashed access to vaccines and evidence-based treatments to prevent deaths and severe illnesses. Scientists say now, in the era of vaccine availability and dominant (less severe) Omicron subvariants, managing COVID-19 looks a lot different than it did in the past three years.

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One things for sure: individual Americans are managing the virus differently.

While the majority of U.S. adults say they plan on getting the latest COVID-19 vaccine, that majority is just 57%, according to a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll in September. Forty-three percent say they probably or definitely will not get the booster.

Gallup has been tracking attitudes toward COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Each time theres a surge in cases, Americans feel a little more concerned about getting infected and take more precaution.

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But overall, a new high 44% of people say the pandemic is over. In July 2022, that number was 33%, and in November 2021, it was just 18%.

Forty-two percent of people say their life is completely back to normal up significantly from even mid-2022, when just 21% of people said their lives were back to normal.

When it comes to wearing face masks, 55% say they never wear a mask outside the house anymore. In July 2020, 53% said they always wore a mask outside, and less than 1% said they never wore one.

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Spring of this year marked the lowest levels of COVID hospitalizations and deaths since the start of the pandemic. With that milestone, masks came off and many employees returned to their offices.

The federal public health emergency also closed out in May, meaning the healthcare system was back to normal, covering people with insurance. The CDC stopped collecting data on positive Covid tests; mask and vaccine mandates expired (or were outlawed in certain states); and travel restrictions eased up.

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These days, although cases are on the rise, the CDC is mostly focused on recommending people get the most updated vaccinations for all the seasonal viruses, so getting your COVID shot is much like getting your flu shot.

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The agency still wants healthcare providers to counsel patients about testing and other preventive measures like covering coughs/sneezes, staying home when sick, improving ventilation at home or work and washing hands.

But thats a far cry from the most stringent CDC guidelines when the pandemic was at its peak: social distancing, N-95 masking, working from home and taking numerous Covid tests to travel by air.

The agency went from recommending people quarantine for two weeks if theyd been infected to simply isolating for five days recommendations that run parallel to other illnesses, like influenza.

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Although the elderly and immunocompromised still face enhanced risks if they get infected, for large swaths of the population, weve returned to normal, maskless day-to-day life.

As scientists warned, COVID is here to stay, but it now joins the slew of other seasonal viruses, and, like the flu, Americans can assess their own personal risk and determine their precautionary plan.

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While it didnt seem possible in the darkest days of the pandemic May 2020 or January 2021 many health officials consider COVID-19 endemic, meaning its patterns are predictable and steady in designated regions. While some health officials disagree over whether Covid-19 has hit that point, and neither the CDC nor World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared it so, societal norms have changed.

Like Dr. William Schaffner, infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told WebMD: People are behaving endemically.

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COVID-19 cases are up, but panic is low - KEYE TV CBS Austin