Health Matters- It's summer, and Flu and RSV have come and gone. But as ever, COVID-19 is different. Even though the pandemic is behind us, the virus is once again surging in the U.S.

On top of getting vaccinated, it might be time for some people to consider masking again-since a more transmissible virus is circulating, and more people are traveling and gathering in crowded public settings like airports. "If I were in a high-risk group and I'm in a large group of people I didn't know-like on an airplane-I think it's reasonable to wear a mask," says Murphy. That consideration should also apply to people who are sick. "I think anyone who has a respiratory illness should stay at home," says Offit. "And if you can't stay at home, you should wear a mask. If you're in a high-risk group, get tested-and if you have COVID-19, take an antiviral."

- By Alice Park

It's summer, and Flu and RSV have come and gone. But as ever, COVID-19 is different. Even though the pandemic is behind us, the virus is once again surging in the U.S.

COVID-19 seems to be settling into a pattern of two peaks a year: one in the winter and one in the summer. Data from early July, the most recent available, showed rates of positive COVID-19 tests from labs (which represent only a small fraction of overall cases) continuing to increase. Hospitalizations for the disease also climbed in early summer, particularly among the elderly. Signs of the virus in wastewater-which provides among the most accurate real-time snapshots of COVID-19 prevalencehave been increasing since May.

The good news is that while the number of cases is climbing, deaths from COVID-19 continue to drop.