COVID is still out there. Do you need to worry about it anymore?

Korin Miller
·5 min read
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Covid-19 forming question mark
How bad is COVID at this stage of the pandemic? Here's what experts say. (Getty Images)

It's been nearly four years since the COVID-19 pandemic caused life around the world to grind to a halt. Since then, a lot has changed. There are now widely available vaccines to lower the risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19, the virus has morphed over time to create new variants and most people are no longer afraid of getting sick from COVID-19.

With the holiday season here, and all the gatherings that come with it, it's only natural to wonder: Do you need to worry about COVID-19 anymore? The virus is considered a thing of the past for many people, even though cases are still climbing. Is that a smart mindset or something concerning? Here’s what you should know, according to infectious disease doctors.

What’s happening

It’s difficult to get an accurate view of just how many COVID-19 cases are happening in the U.S. right now, given that many people are testing themselves at home or not at all. However, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that ER visits related to the virus, hospital admissions for people who have COVID and deaths from COVID-19 have been steadily climbing for weeks. The percentage of tests for COVID-19 conducted in a medical setting that have come back positive is just over 11%. Essentially, COVID is still out there, and it's still affecting lives.

Do I need to worry?

It depends. “This is not a one-size-fits-all type of level of concern,” infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Yahoo Life. “However, people should be thinking of COVID as very similar to all of the other endemic respiratory viruses that circulate year in and year out.”

“I think people should at least be aware that COVID-19 is still out there,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life. "There are about 1,000 deaths a week that are still occurring due to COVID, but there are many people who are getting much milder infections such that they don’t have to be hospitalized.”

Dr. Thomas Russo, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York, tells Yahoo Life that it’s important to think about your individual risk if you get COVID-19. He recommends considering the following:

  • Your immune status. “Have you gotten the most recent updated vaccine, and have you been infected with COVID-19 in the past?” Russo asks. “If you've never been vaccinated or never been infected, you're pretty susceptible.”

  • Your underlying health conditions. People who have obesity, are immunocompromised, have heart or lung disease or are pregnant are at a higher risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19, he says.

  • Your age. “Increasing age increases your risk of serious outcomes,” Russo says.

  • Who you interact with. “Even though you may be on the lower end of risk, if you’re in a multigenerational home or constantly interact with co-workers or family who are high risk, you could be putting them at risk if you get infected,” Russo says. “That’s something to take into consideration.”

Russo says that, overall, the majority of the country is in good shape when it comes to immunity against COVID-19, both from natural infection and vaccination.

Adalja says that we’re getting closer to the baseline of what COVID will look like “in perpetuity,” making this a virus people need to learn to live with. “COVID has the most tools to use against it when compared to other respiratory viruses,” he says.

What can I do about it?

Adalja stresses that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is “unavoidable.” He adds, “The key is making sure that it is not able to cause severe disease.”

That means that people who are considered high risk for severe complications of the virus should be up to date with their vaccines and, he says, “when they test positive are promptly linked to antiviral therapy,” such as Paxlovid.

Schaffner says that the COVID-19 vaccine has been underutilized, and urges people to get vaccinated. “This, along with the influenza vaccine, is the best resource we have to protect ourselves against these winter respiratory infections,” he says, and adds that the vaccine should still offer protection against COVID-19 over Christmas and New Year’s if you get it now.

If you’re gathering over the holidays with loved ones who are immunocompromised or otherwise vulnerable, Schaffner recommends rapid testing for COVID-19 on the day of your gathering. “In our family, everyone needs to test negative before they attend,” he says. “That’s to protect not only the older members that are attending but also a member of our extended family who is receiving cancer chemotherapy.”

It also may be a good idea to avoid indoor venues like restaurants and the gym in the days leading up to holiday gatherings if someone in your family is considered high risk. For indoor venues that are relatively unavoidable, like the grocery store, Russo suggests wearing a high quality mask if you’re concerned about your COVID-19 risk.

The main takeaway

Infectious disease experts say that people shouldn't panic about the risk of contracting COVID-19, but they recommend doing everything you can to protect yourself and others in your life, especially if they’re at high risk.

“COVID is not going away,” Schaffner says. “It has seasonal increases and, unfortunately, this is the season. This is exactly the time when we should be protecting ourselves.”