COVID in May
Concerns about a potential resurgence of COVID-19 are mounting as summer 2024 approaches. This is driven by several indicators, including social media posts, healthcare data, and wastewater surveillance across different regions. Our study findings corroborate this trend. While many forecasters anticipate a surge, others expect a gradual increase through the end of May, and then a decline again around early June. Reports from social media suggest emerging clusters of COVID-19 in Texas, several Canadian provinces, the UK, and on cruises in northern regions such as a Norwegian cruise to Alaska. Data from Alberta's Respiratory virus dashboard (total weekly laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases) and wastewater surveillance in Calgary indicate an uptick in COVID-19 cases starting April 2024. The most recent statistics from Alberta Health reveal a significant increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19, with 114 individuals currently hospitalized—an incr...