{"id":15915,"date":"2026-07-24T17:30:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T12:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15915"},"modified":"2026-07-24T17:30:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T12:30:31","slug":"is-covid-returning-summer-uptick-may-have-begun-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=15915","title":{"rendered":"Is COVID returning? Summer uptick may have begun in California"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-element=\"story-body\" data-subscriber-content=\"\">\n<p>COVID-19 is on the upswing in California and across a swath of the West and the South, a sign that the virus may be starting its seasonal summer uptick.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cfa-modeling-and-forecasting\/rt-estimates\/index.html?tab=0&amp;state-code=06\" target=\"_blank\">estimates<\/a> that COVID is growing in California, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Hawaii. Levels of COVID-19 in those states \u2014 measured by the share of emergency room visits caused by COVID \u2014 still remain very low, the CDC said. <\/p>\n<p>Other data points also suggest COVID is rising. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCOVID-19 activity has been gradually increasing across California based on test positivity trends. Wastewater concentrations are also increasing,\u201d according to Grant Boyken, a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health. <\/p>\n<p>For the week that ended July 18, 3.4% of COVID tests in California came back positive. That\u2019s lower than at the same time in the prior two years, but it\u2019s still an increase from a month ago, when the test positivity rate was 1.15%. <\/p>\n<p>According to health officials and experts, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising for a summer increase in COVID to begin now. Large numbers of people haven\u2019t fallen ill with COVID for quite a while. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re kind of due for more people getting sick,\u201d said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong.<\/p>\n<div class=\"enhancement\" data-click=\"enhancement\" data-align-center=\"\">\n<figure class=\"figure m-0\"> <picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/45e734a\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/320x148!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 320w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/7809a3d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/568x263!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 568w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/cfcdacb\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/768x356!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 768w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/b73710b\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/1024x474!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 1024w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/5b2226b\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/1200x556!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 1200w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img class=\"image\" alt=\"Map shows 10 states where COVID is growing, including California, Texas and Florida.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/0c59cc4\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/320x148!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 320w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/42d4728\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/568x263!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 568w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/4c8e902\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/768x356!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 768w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/fce6d35\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/1024x474!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 1024w,https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/f90339c\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/1200x556!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" width=\"1200\" height=\"556\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/f90339c\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/910x422+0+0\/resize\/1200x556!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2F4c%2Fd9d46ce24308a7d0f91a60d81521%2Fscreenshot-2026-07-23-at-9-38-10-pm.png\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>   <\/picture>\n<div class=\"figure-content\">\n<p>COVID is growing across a swath of the West and South, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n<p>(U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<p>\u201cHopefully, that won\u2019t happen. But I think that\u2019s what we\u2019re worried about,\u201d said Chin-Hong, a UC San Francisco infectious diseases expert. At the moment, however, UC San Francisco is not seeing a lot of COVID cases in its hospitals, he noted. <\/p>\n<p>Kaiser is noticing a small increase in COVID cases just in the last two weeks \u2014 nearly all of them outpatients, said Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional physician chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California.<\/p>\n<p>The COVID test positivity rate in L.A. County started rising after the Fourth of July holiday. According to county data, the rate was 4.28% for the week that ended July 11, up from 1.52% a week earlier. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next few weeks will tell us if we\u2019re going to see another summer of increased COVID activity,\u201d Hudson said. <\/p>\n<p>The test positivity rate is also increasing in Orange County, with 3% of COVID tests coming back positive for the week that ended July 11, up from 1.3% a month ago. <\/p>\n<p>In Northern California, wastewater detections and the COVID test positivity rate are up in San Francisco, the city\u2019s Department of Public Health said. Levels of coronavirus in the wastewater in San Jos\u00e9 and Palo Alto are considered \u201chigh,\u201d the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSummer increases in COVID-19 activity have occurred yearly since 2020, so it is not unexpected to see more activity at this time,\u201d state health officials said. <\/p>\n<p>Hospitalization rates remain \u201cvery low\u201d across California but are expected to rise in the coming weeks. \u201cThe percentage of emergency department visits and the percentage of deaths attributed to COVID-19 are both lower than levels seen during the same time frame\u201d in the last two years, according to the state Department of Public Health. <\/p>\n<p>State officials continue to recommend that all individuals age 6 months and older stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations. The most recent version of the COVID vaccine came out in September. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is particularly important for <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdph.ca.gov\/Programs\/CID\/DCDC\/CDPH%20Document%20Library\/Immunization\/populations-at-risk-covid.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">higher-risk individuals<\/a>, such as infants and toddlers, pregnant individuals, older persons, and others with risks for serious disease,\u201d health officials said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome groups of people may need multiple doses and those age 65+ or immunocompromised need two doses six months apart. For those who have not received an updated dose or are due for their second dose, vaccination is recommended before the summer wave,\u201d the agency said, recommending that those groups get the current 2025-26 version of the vaccine this summer while waiting for the 2026-27 version, which will be released in the fall. <\/p>\n<p>Worldwide, COVID activity was generally low and stable for the last week of June, according to the <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/data.who.int\/dashboards\/covid19\/summary?n=o\" target=\"_blank\">World Health Organization<\/a>, although there was elevated activity or increases in parts of Latin America, northern Europe, parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. <\/p>\n<p>Health officials in Taiwan reported an increase in COVID activity there, and were monitoring increasing viral activity in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China, according to the island\u2019s <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/focustaiwan.tw\/society\/202607210021\" target=\"_blank\">Central News Agency<\/a>. Medical providers in Taiwan were reporting some strain with patients coming in with COVID as well as seasonal flu; infections were expected to peak in mid-August, local news outlets <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XH502p3nXio\" target=\"_blank\">reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>COVID has become less deadly since the early years of the pandemic, when the virus was new to humanity and there were neither vaccines nor medicines to treat those who were sickened. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db427.htm\" target=\"_blank\">2020 <\/a>and <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db456.htm\" target=\"_blank\">2021<\/a>, the fourth leading cause in <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db492.htm\" target=\"_blank\">2022<\/a>, and the 10th leading cause in <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db521.htm\" target=\"_blank\">2023<\/a>. By <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db548.htm#section_5\" target=\"_blank\">2024<\/a>, COVID became the 15th leading cause of death nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, there were 385,676 deaths involving COVID nationwide; in 2021, 463,267 deaths; in 2022, 247,168 deaths; in 2023, 76,055 deaths; in 2024, 47,541 deaths; and in 2025, 20,685 deaths, according to a CDC <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/nvss\/vsrr\/covid19\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\">database<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That is still a significant number of deaths, experts say, and the virus can still lead to development of <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/long-covid\/about\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">long COVID<\/a> and other health problems. <\/p>\n<p>The hope is that a summer COVID uptick will continue to be weaker than in previous summers. But even then, the disease will still cause suffering and death for some victims, according to Chin-Hong. <\/p>\n<p>Doctors say those who remain at particular risk of severe COVID are older people, immunocompromised people, those who are pregnant and those who are younger than 5, especially infants. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen zillions of waves of COVID, but babies haven\u2019t,\u201d Chin-Hong said. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that we have to protect the most vulnerable,\u201d he said. It\u2019s especially important for the most vulnerable groups of people to get a fresh COVID vaccination at least once every year, Chin-Hong said. <\/p>\n<p>People who get sick with COVID should also remember that, if they get diagnosed early, for many there is the option of asking for drugs to reduce the length and intensity of illness, such as Paxlovid. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re over age 65 or are younger but at a higher risk for complications \u2014 e.g., you have diabetes, heart disease, obesity, asthma or have a weakened immune system for other reasons like cancer \u2014 you can get a COVID-19 booster now,\u201d Hudson said. \u201cThis will help you avoid getting COVID-19 now during what may turn out to be another summer surge.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>COVID-19 is on the upswing in California and across a swath of the West and the South, a sign that the virus may be starting its seasonal summer uptick. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that COVID is growing in California, Texas, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Hawaii&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/4dc1e07\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5000x2625+0+354\/resize\/1200x630!\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F73%2Fe0%2Fdc3d02124df89a7b706cf5701697%2F1547387-me-ice-tsa-lax03-el.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}