Renown medical experts say COVID-19 cases are on the rise and a new variant called FLRT, derived from the Omicron variant, has emerged.
Washoe County and the Reno area have seen a 25% increase in cases, while the Carson area has seen a 35% increase, the department said.
While medical experts are seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, they also say influenza cases make up less than 1% and respiratory syncytial virus cases make up less than 2%.
Marie McCormack, Renown's director of primary care, said many people may think COVID-19 is gone, or that one dose of the vaccine will protect them from the virus for life, but that's not true.
McCormack believes the reason for the rise in cases is:
“People aren't washing their hands like they used to, they're not wearing masks when they're traveling,” McCormack said. “I've been through two different airports, and people are wearing masks, sanitizing belt buckles, arm rests, tray tables as much as they can, and trying not to touch anybody.”
She encourages everyone to get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19 this year.
“You'd be better off getting the flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine because when you get COVID, your natural immunity only lasts for three months, so by the fall, people like me who just got COVID will have lost that natural immunity.”
McCormack explains that COVID-19 is constantly slowly changing its variants, and because it is a virus, it adapts to the environment it is exposed to and that's when it starts to change, so immunity to previous variants becomes useless against the new variant.
If you do contract COVID-19, you should isolate yourself and take time off work, she says.
“If your test result is positive, you should isolate for at least five days, or until at least two days have passed since you last had a fever and you are no longer taking fever-reducing medication.”
McCormack also recommends that people who want to prevent catching COVID-19 should wash their hands frequently, wear a mask when around people they don't know, and get tested for COVID-19 if they get sick.
There are also COVID-19 medications available, if applied for within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms, she said, which are meant to shorten the duration of COVID-19 symptoms but do not cure it.
McCormack explains how to recover.
“It's important to take care of yourself,” she says. “Get plenty of sleep and stay well hydrated. If you're not hungry you don't need to eat, but if you have a fever or chills you need to stay hydrated. You're losing a lot of fluids, you're dehydrated, and it's really hard on your kidneys.”
She predicts COVID-19 cases will continue for some time and says we will likely see a surge in COVID-19 cases in the fall.
