COLORADO, USA — The Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) is reporting a spike in COVID cases. So far, 1,284 cases have been reported in the state this week. Last week, there were 1,372 cases reported, which is the highest it's been since March.
Patients are coming in with a lot of the typical COVID symptoms like body aches, fever, cough, and sneezing, according to AdventHealth Littleton.
Primary care physician Dr. Ming "Frank" Wu said this wave of COVID isn't as severe, with not as many people experiencing shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
"It is something we need to be aware of and something we need to be careful about, however, it seems to be there doesn’t seem to be as many hospitalizations...as compared to previous infections," said Dr. Wu.
He said this wave isn't as bad, with many patients realizing after-the-fact that they contracted the virus. But, he said it's important to remember the infection can still become significant.
If you do get COVID, Dr. Wu said you can take over the counter medications like ibuprofen, DayQuil, and NyQuil to manage your symptoms. He also strongly emphasized the importance of hand washing.
If your symptoms get worse and you end up with high fever or difficulty breathing, then he said to make an appointment with your primary care physician.
"If you are ill and you need to go out, wear a mask," said Dr. Wu. "That does prevent spread of the virus and it can help protect your neighbor."
This wave involves two different Omicron variants, collectively called FLIRT. While we often think of viral infections as a winter time issue, Dr. Wu said we often see waves of COVID in the summer as well.
He said the virus is still difficult to predict.
"Even the CDC admits that we don't know what this virus is going to do. It could be that this is something that just becomes something we see from now on or it could be something that kind of goes away and does become just like the common cold," he said. "Without having a crystal ball and looking forward I can't say what the virus is going to."
If you didn't get the vaccine last year, Dr. Wu suggests waiting until the new one comes out in the fall.