As the summer heat continues to soar, so do COVID-19 infections. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wastewater data, 36 states have registered “high” or “very high” levels for the virus, with the West and Southeast of the U.S. leading the pack.

According to TODAY, a CDC spokesperson said that the COVID-19 wave has arrived earlier this year than last year, and infection rates may keep rising. Michael Hoerger, assistant professor at Tulane University School of Medicine, leads the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative’s data tracker. His models predict that the current wave will peak on Sept. 11 at an alarming 1.2 million new cases daily.

“We’re probably somewhere between a quarter of the way through the wave to 40%, 50%, if we’re lucky,” he said, adding that this is the ninth COVID-19 wave in the U.S. Right now, the test positivity rate is 12.6%, the highest since the January surge of the disease. While emergency room and hospital visits are climbing, the rate of deaths remains stable.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, reminds us that unlike influenza, which tends to disappear during the summer months, COVID-19 never goes away. Right now we are experiencing a surge of the FLiRT variants which have unique spike protein mutations that make them better able to escape immunity than previous strains.

The highest rates of infection appear to be in the West, but COVID-19 is also spiking in the Southeast and in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions, according to TODAY. However, Hoerger cautions that people across the country should be taking precautions in general.

Testing wastewater is one way to measure infection rates because people shed the virus through their stool even before they show symptoms of illness. This method serves as a more accurate early warning sign of disease than other measurements, Hoerger explained. This interactive map shows the current viral activity levels of the virus as of July 24. The CDC says that rates of COVID are climbing in 42 states, declining in zero, and uncertain in six.

The latest variants are highly contagious, but do not appear to be causing severe disease, although Schaffner warns that vulnerable people in high-risk groups need to be up to date on vaccinations and take the usual preventive measures to prevent illness. According to the CDC, these include:

• Wearing a high-quality mask indoors at public places.

• Staying up to date with vaccines.

• Testing if you have symptoms or exposure to the virus.

• Staying home if you are ill until you are free of fever for at least 24 hours. Continue to wear a mask for at least five days afterward.

• Practicing social distancing. 

Hoerger warns that from now on, every day is likely to bring more transmission so “people should be taking the rest of the year very seriously.”