More than 40 states, including Wisconsin, are seeing a spike in COVID infections

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A coronavirus wave is spreading across the country, as more than 40 states see a spike in the number of affections, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Here in Wisconsin, the viral activity level is currently rated as "moderate" with 41 sites reporting.

Experts said there are multiple factors as to why this so-called "summer surge" is occurring.

"I think the leading theory currently is that when people sort of go indoors, close the windows, that kind of facilitates people being in close contact," said Dr. Jim Conway, the medical director for University of Wisconsin Health Immunization Programs. "I think people also have let their guard down and forgetting that, unfortunately, during summer months, respiratory viruses can still circulate."

Another reason is that travel picks up in the warmer months.

"People are back to traveling full force, and most people have kind of decided pandemic is over and have dropped all the masking and mitigation stuff that they had been doing for so much of the last couple years," Dr. Conway said. "I think people do need to understand that, you know, while we can get back to some level of normalcy for our lives, I think it's still important to remember that we need to do some of the things we've been doing to protect ourselves, but also to protect those highly vulnerable high-risk populations."

Dr. Conway said this marks the fourth year in a row that the U.S. has seen a spike during the summer -- also due to the ever-changing evolutions of the various variants.

With a new booster vaccine expected to come out this fall, officials recommend speaking with your medical provider about staying up to date, as while these shots are proven to be effective, they are typically strongest in protection in the first few months after injection.

"It really is out there and able to be spread, you know, pretty much year-round, I think at this point," Dr. Conway said.