OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The CDC says it is seeing an increase in COVID activity. That is according to CDC Director Doctor Mandy Cohen.
3 News Now Reporter Molly Hudson listened into the call on Thursday afternoon as Cohen shared the state of COVID-19 right now.
She says in the last week about 15,000 people were in the hospital with COVID-19. Comparing that to this time last year, hospitalizations were closer to 38,000.
Cohen says less than 1% of the cases the CDC is seeing is the new BA 2.86 variant.
The CDC encourages staying up to date on vaccinations but did say an updated vaccine is expected soon that targets the current dominant variants.
"They are going through FDA regulatory review right now and then will go immediately to CDC for recommendation and they will be available in mid-September," said Cohen.
Cohen says for most people, if you are behind on your vaccinations, it is likely the right choice to wait for the updated vaccine to be available.
The CDC is working to learn more about what the effectiveness of the updated vaccine will be for the new variant.
With fall and winter around the corner, the CDC also encourages getting your flu shot and if you are 60 and older, the new RSV vaccine too.
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