Summer COVID cases not increasing significantly, but measles sees a comeback, experts say

Concerns over a potential increase in COVID-19 cases have been consistent during the last few summers, but summer 2025 also brought a renewed focus on measles outbreaks. The American Medical Association (AMA) recently highlighted the newest COVID-19 variant and measles in their AMA Update Series.

- By HEATHER M. BUTTS, JD, MPH, MA Special to the AmNews

The 10-minute video update was moderated by AMA Chief Experience Officer Todd Unger, with expert opinions from Andrea Garcia, JD, MPH, vice president of Science, medicine, and public health for the AMA. As Garcia stated in the update, "the new COVID variant that's now spreading in the U.S. and other parts of the world is called NB.1.8.1 [Nimbus] .... Nimbus is a descendant of the Omicron variant ... According to the [Centers for Disease Control] CDC, [Nimbus] now accounts for more than one third of cases here in the U.S." Garcia noted that while COVID-19 cases have had increases over the summer since 2020, it's important to stay up to date on case counts for 2025.