Using a syringe to attack the new covid-19 variant. A young doctor in a white protective glove holds a medical syringe and a vial.
For the first time in three years, Americans could head into the winter respiratory virus season with a measure of optimism, experts say, even as Covid cases appear to be ticking up.
"We're in a different place," said Dr. Mandy Cohen, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Widespread immunity from either Covid infection or vaccination, as well as updated booster shots, is reassuring public health officials ahead of the typical cold and flu season.
"I think we're the most prepared that we've ever been," Cohen said.
Anecdotes about family members, friends and neighbors who test positive for Covid are picking up steam, and Covid-related hospitalizations have been trending upward in recent weeks, according to NBC News data.
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Still, the U.S. is nowhere near the level of severe Covid cases it has seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
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