Coronavirus FAQ: Is it wiser to get a booster now or wait for the new fall booster?

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In the last week of June, some 6,000 people in the United States were hospitalized for COVID. In the last week of July, that number had climbed to 9,000 – still a historic low level but definitely an upswing. WHO reports that global numbers are climbing as well.

It's a reminder that even though the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have declared that the COVID "emergency" is over and data collection is nowhere near as rigorous as it has been, the pandemic is not over.

"Indicators all point to an uptick, which is expected based on prior summers," says Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an infectious disease specialist.

So folks may be worried, especially if they are in a higher risk category and/or are planning late summer travel, sending kids back to school or in regular contact with older folks, who stand a greater chance of developing severe disease.

That raises the question: What to do about