What Massachusetts doctors are saying about rising COVID-19 hospitalizations

COVID-19 infections continue to increase in much of the United States, with some key indicators, such as rising hospitalizations. The city of Boston is now urging people to mask up in crowded indoor settings.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that two other subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5, constitute more than 70% of new infections in the country. These subvariants may partially escape the immunity produced by the vaccine and by prior infection, though vaccination still likely protects against severe illness.Dr. Shira Doron says it’s too early to know if the highly-transmissible COVID-19 BA.5 subvariant will fuel a COVID-19 spike in Massachusetts, or if the 42% jump in cases in Boston so far in July is only a blip.”It is not a foregone conclusion that we are going to see a BA.1-type surge,” Doron said. In Boston, public health officials say roughly 22 people a day are going to the hospital because of COVID-19, a 25% increase. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett says most people being treated in Massachusetts are faring well in the hospital, even as more people are infected. “For people who’ve been infected or received vaccinations, mild to moderate illness, so we’re not seeing intensive care unit admissions go up,” Barnett said. “If anything, this is a big wakeup call for people who have not had their booster that it is really time,” Barnett said. Cities like Boston are encouraging people to wear masks in crowded indoor public places, as doctors encourage caution, instead of alarm.”Don’t confuse the need to always be prepared for the worst,” Doron said.