After a historically low-transmission summer, new cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 have increased by approximately 18% in the US over the last week, according to CDC data.

In a new DocTalk interview, Donald J. Alcendor, PhD, associate professor, department of pathology microbiology and immunology, division of infectious diseases, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and HCPLive Editorial Advisory Board member, discussed the factors influencing the current iteration of COVID-19 in the US. Put briefly: “The virus is changing, and immunity is waning.”

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Episode highlights:

0:16 Intro
1:36 The current climb in COVID-19: What’s happening?
3:58 Are the variants becoming harder to dodge?
7:01 How the end of the US public health emergency impacted prevention
11:07 Realistic vaccine expectations
13:13 Advancing COVID-19 antivirals
17:32 The future for mRNA vaccines infectious disease
21:27 Public health implications
22:58 A quiet COVID-19 summer: What went well?
25:06 Projecting future waves
28:26 Advice for clinicians in preparing patients