The next COVID wave is in Fort Worth. How new variant compares to previous summers

Fort Worth and the rest of the U.S. are in the middle of a fourth COVID summer, and although cases of the disease are increasing, they are nowhere near the highs of the past three summers.

The number of people in Texas hospitals with COVID-19 has increased by about 15% in one week, according to state data from the first week of August. The number is still relatively low — 860 people — compared to the same time last summer, when there were almost 3,500 people in Texas hospitals with COVID-19.

The number of new COVID-19 cases has also increased considerably, but cases are a less reliable metric because so many people are either not taking tests or are using at-home tests, which typically don’t get reported to public health authorities. The number of COVID-19 cases that were reported in Texas increased by 25% in the first week of August, compared to the last week of July.

Although there is more virus circulating in the community than there was several weeks ago, the area’s cases are relatively low compared to previous spikes, said Dr. I. Carol Nwelue, an internal medicine physician with Baylor Scott & White Health.

“In the grand scheme of things, we are still much much lower than we’ve been in the past seven months,” Carol Nwelue said.

Edrea Au, a spokesperson for Tarrant County Public Health, said the department had also observed a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, although the overall level of the virus remains low.

Adults without compromised immune systems should be alert for any symptoms that might indicate they’ve been infected, Carol Nwelue said, and should wear a mask if they’re near someone who has COVID-19. If you are sick, you should stay home from work or school if possible, she said.

Kids who are sick or experiencing symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, upset stomach, headache, or a loss of taste and/or smell should stay home from school, Au said.

Adults who are immunocompromised or who have another condition that puts them at high risk should ask their doctor about getting another COVID-19 booster this summer, before the latest boosters become available this fall, Carol Nwelue said. The most recent COVID vaccine for most Americans was the bivalent booster that became available in fall 2022.

What should we know about the new COVID variant, EG.5.1?

Like all viruses, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has continued to adapt and evolve into new variants. The new variant that many public health experts are watching is called EG.5.1.

So far, there are no new symptoms that doctors have noticed with this variant, but because there are multiple variants circulating and because the virus continues to evolve, Carol Nwelue recommended taking a COVID test if you have any respiratory or flu-like symptoms, just to be sure.

“We know there are a thousand symptoms, and as the variants change, oftentimes those symptoms change as well,” she said.

Another variant, FL1.5.1, is also under surveillance.

Are COVID-19 boosters available?

The only COVID boosters available are the bivalent boosters that came out last year. These boosters provide protection against two strains of the coronavirus: The original strain as well as the omicron variant.

New COVID-19 boosters should become available later this year, in time for the fall and winter months. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said the new booster will target the XBB.1.5 strain of the virus. The new booster will be different than the original two-dose vaccine series because it targets a more recent iteration of the virus than the version that was infecting people back in 2020.