The good news for South Carolina regarding COVID is the occurrence is low. The bad news is the rate of infection is rising at a level the Centers for Disease Control calls substantial.

Most states recorded a moderate or even stable increase while Kentucky, Virginia. Georgia, Illinois and Connecticut along with South Carolina recorded substantial increases.

The CDC says as of July 23, COVID-19 infections were growing or likely growing in 36 states and territories, declining or likely declining in one state — Hawaii — and were stable or uncertain in five states and territories.

The reason, medical professionals say, COVID is increasing is it’s summer, which means people are staying inside and gathering and traveling more. At play in South Carolina is the fact the virus spreads best in heat and humidity.

Cases have risen each summer since the pandemic began in 2020, the CDC said.

Plus new variants keep forming.

Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told Scientific America a variant or subvariant comes about every six months or so.

The new strains are causing the same symptoms — cough, fever, fatigue — as the old, but they are more contagious, the CDC says.

What to do?

If you’re sick, stay home and away from everyone until symptoms go away and you have no fever for 24 hours without taking medication.

For the next five days, the CDC recommends wearing a mask and staying away from crowds.

Wash your hands frequently.