Covid summer wave is here in midst of uncertain mRNA vaccines future

Another summer wave of coronavirus infections is set to threaten the lives of people across the United States.

Unfortunately, this surge arrives with an added layer of uncertainty regarding the future of mRNA vaccines.

Jay Weiland, an infectious disease modeler, has predicted that the upcoming summer COVID-19 wave will hit a peak in early September.

Jenn Dowd, a professor of demography and population health at the University of Oxford in England, referenced Weiland’s prediction model in her Substack newsletter coupled with the recent data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention.

According to the recent statistics, COVID infections are rising in all but five states. ‘Since the data are lagging by a week, it’s likely levels are already higher, with a predicted peak in early September, just in time for back-to-school,” Dowd said.

Marlene Wolfem, co-director of WastewaterSCAN, a private initiative that tracks sewage data, said the viral levels started rising in late June and are high in the West, South, and Midwest and headed to the Northeast.

Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Brigham, shed light on the current rise, resembling it to seasonal bumps in previous years. Fortunately, the surge is not driving a serious illness.

The latest variant

Coronavirus is evolved into the new transmissible variant that can overcome the frontline immune defences.

According to CDC wastewater tracking, the current variant is XFG which is an offshoot of the JN.1 subvariant of omicron that became predominant in the winter of 2023-2024.

The growing concerns of experts

The medical experts and scientists have raised the concerns over the delays and confusion surrounding the limited access of mRNA for those who need them the most.

Moreover, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also announced that the updated coronavirus is not expected to meet until mid-September.

Once the latest vaccine comes in the market, the FDA has planned to restrict its approval for those 65 and above.

The new approach will show a departure from past years when the jabs were widely available, thereby leading to increased vulnerability of the larger population.

Moreover, the recent funding cut for mRNA vaccines has added another layer of uncertainty and susceptibility.