COVID Is BACK…Again! Have a Sore Throat? Will You Keep Catching It?

COVID is back. That was the headline we wrote exactly one year ago. Like clockwork–or a bad penny–this damn virus keeps reappearing around this time each year. I know you do not want to hear about Nimbus and the sore throat it may bring, but as the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates it brings us different symptoms…or the same symptoms, again and again. The photo at the top of the page is a nimbus cloud…somewhat foreboding of a coming storm. That’s why the new COVID variant was named Nimbus.

A First Hand Account:

A good friend called me last week to say that he caught the cloud virus thing…again. At first I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but then Nimbus was mentioned. That’s the name the insiders have given the latest variant, NB.1.8.1. It surged in China and other parts of Asia, moved to Europe and is now proliferating in the U.S.

My buddy suspected that he had caught something when his throat got very sore. Then he developed other respiratory tract symptoms, laryngitis and a fever. After about a week he thought he was getting better, but the elevated temperature continued. He ran out of energy every afternoon. I spoke with him today, and his fever is gone and he is just beginning to feel almost normal. This is his second bout with COVID-19.

You can read more about the bad sore throat and Nimbus at this link.

COVID Is Back Every July!

Since 2020, COVID cases surge in July and August. That runs counter to what we usually experience from respiratory viruses, right? We catch colds and the flu in the winter. We are always told that’s because people hang out inside during the winter and the air is dry. “Experts” have told us that viral particles spread more easily in dry, heated air. They also suggest that our immunity is lower during the winter.

I am not going to tell you all that’s BS, but how do those experts explain the summer surge of COVID in July and August? The air is humid. We are outside a lot more than we are in mid-winter. And in theory our immune systems should be stronger thanks in part to extra vitamin D from sun exposure.

The summer “experts” will likely say that we actually are inside more because of heat and humidity. They will also say that COVID is back because we are traveling more in  the summer. What about Thanksgiving and Christmas? The last time I checked, the busiest travel days of the year are around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Maybe we shouldn’t trust the “experts” so much. Bottom line, I don’t think anyone knows why COVID is back at this time of year.

Where Is the COVID Surge This Summer?

Last year this time the CDC reported high levels of the virus in 26 states. We were told that there were high or very high levels based on wastewater surveillance. California, Nevada and Oregon were all at very high levels, and so were Texas, Arkansas, Maryland and Florida.

Fast forward to July, 2025. We are told that California, Nevada, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina all have very high wastewater viral activity levels. Here is a link to a map if you would like to see other states that have high levels of wastewater viral activity.

States Where COVID-19 Infections are Growing in 2025:

Last year at this time there were 26 states where COVID was on the upswing. This year it is 27.

Here are the states where COVID is “Growing”

• California
• Texas
• Oklahoma
• Arkansas
• Mississippi
• Tennessee
• Georgia
• South Carolina
• North Carolina
• Virginia
• Kentucky
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Indiana
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Wisconsin
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• New York
• Massachusetts
• Maine

Another Tip-Off that COVID is Back=Paxlovid Commercials!

We have to pay attention to drug ads. It’s part of our job description. We do it so you don’t have to. When we start to see or hear Paxlovid commercials, it’s usually a good indicator that COVID cases are going up. Drug companies like Pfizer do not spend money on drug ads if there is no good reason.

Here is a link to iSpot with a Paxlovid commercial from July 21, 2025. A husband and wife show their positive COVID tests and say:

“COVID-19, we’re not waiting. If It’s COVID…Paxlovid”

Are You in Denial?

Most people have been acting as if COVID were gone for good. Look around the next time you go to the pharmacy, supermarket, restaurant, bank or sporting event. Hardly anyone is masked or cautious.

Will you catch COVID for the first, second or third time? As I said in the introduction, my friend has had COVID as least once before. Many people don’t even know how many times they have caught COVID. There’s a good chance that before it really does fade from view, virtually everyone will have caught COVID at least once. Who’s even testing any more? Many will catch it multiple times.

In just the last couple of weeks we have heard from others that they had come down with COVID either for the first time or had a repeat infection. And it’s not always mild. One relative was out of commission for at least a week. She was really under the weather.

Now That COVID Is Back, What Should You Expect?

Many of the symptoms of this COVID wave are similar to other respiratory tract infections.

COVID Symptoms:

• Sore throat…some people describe a sensation like broken glass in the throat
• Cough
• Congestion
• Runny nose
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Headache
• GI symptoms
• Fever
• Trouble breathing 

Some folks are going to tell us that COVID symptoms are NO BIG DEAL. Sounds like the flu or a bad cold. True enough. The difference is that long COVID can be a consequence of an infection with SARS-CoV-2.

If COVID Is Back, Why Don’t People Care?

Wherever you go, the overwhelming majority of folks appear to have put COVID out of mind. An occasional person is wearing a mask, but that is a rarity. Everyone wants to forget this virus and pretend that the pandemic never happened.

The trouble is that people who were especially careful and dodged the COVID bullet up until now are catching the virus for the first time. And those who already caught COVID-19 once are coming down with it for the second time…and even the third or fourth time.

Alright, I can hear you now! If someone caught COVID once, shouldn’t natural immunity protect them from a severe reinfection a second or third time around? The answer is: there are no “safe” COVID infections.

Nobody knows why some people have a “mild” case of COVID and why others get very sick. Some people have developed a bad first infection and a relatively mild second infection. For others, though, it works in reverse, for reasons that remain mysterious.

COVID Is Back, and with it a Risk of Long COVID:

For all the people who say, “the heck with COVID…I just don’t give a damn!” That’s easy to say if you have not experienced long COVID.

Just ask anyone who is still suffering with symptoms such as shortness of breath, a lingering cough, debilitating fatigue, brain fog or chronic pain if they can forget this illness. Chances are they will say that it has had a major impact on the quality of their lives.

What researchers cannot tell you is whether your chances of developing long COVID increase or decrease with each round of infection. Given that uncertainty, you may not want to be nonchalant about catching another round of COVID.

Are Masks a Thing of the Past?

What about masking? We have been inundated by messages from visitors to this website stating unequivocally “masks don’t work.”

In a quest for transparency, we absolutely admit that research has produced conflicting results. For anti-maskers, that’s all it takes to convince them that masks are a waste of time at best and counterproductive at worst.

Ask them what can be done to avoid catching COVID for the first, or fifth time, and you get a blank stare. They’ve got nothing. These are the same folks who are cheering at sporting events and having a rousing good time at the local pub.

To learn what we recommend, please visit this link:

Are There Dangerous Viruses in the Air You Breathe?

We are big proponents of high-quality air filtration. We also value fresh air! The trouble is you have no way of knowing how good the heating and air conditioning system is at your pharmacy, bank, supermarket or big box store.

How many air changes does the auditorium, doctor’s office, movie theatre, rest room or restaurant have per hour? That information is not posted anywhere that we have seen. It represents the amount of fresh air from outside that is brought into the facility each hour.

Ideally, we would like to see 10 to 12 air changes each hour. The only way you will know if the room or building you are in has decent air exchange is to carry a carbon dioxide monitor with you.

A CO2 monitor will tell you how well a room is ventilated. If you test outdoor air, it should measure about 400 ppm (parts per million). Even if the carbon dioxide levels climb to 600-800, it’s not terrible.

If CO2 exceeds 800 ppm it means that there are way too many people breathing in your space and there is not enough fresh air. If someone has COVID-19, you could be inhaling some of their viral particles.

Why Masks Still Make Sense Now that COVID Is Back:

There is a reason why studies of masks have produced inconclusive results.

In a nutshell, it boils down to these three factors:

1) Not all masks are created equal. Most masks are not very effective because they are not N-95s. They may be fabric or surgical masks that have elastic behind the ears. These do not filter air effectively.

2) Most masks do not fit well. There are gaps around the nose, cheeks and chin. If you wear glasses and they fog up when you wear a mask, air is escaping. That is proof that the mask does not fit correctly.

3) Many people do not wear masks correctly. Admit it, you have seen a lot of people wearing their masks as chin straps. The other mistake is to push the mask below the nose. The mask becomes totally ineffective in such situations.

Final Words:

We understand why you want to forget about COVID-19. We want to put this virus in the rear view mirror as well! Perhaps someday it will disappear for good. Then again, it may turn into a flu-like illness and reemerge twice a year with a different variant. Just as we are experiencing a wave of cases in July, 2025, we may experience another surge this coming winter around the holidays. Hopefully, the virulence will gradually diminish and people will stop experiencing long COVID.

At the moment, though, we do not know if the NB.1.8.1 variant is stronger, weaker or about the same as the prior Omicron variants. We do not know if long COVID consequences will gradually disappear or whether we are stuck with this mysterious chronic illness for many years to come. In the meantime, please be safe.

If you feel you must refute the use of face masks in the comment section below, please be kind. We are getting fed up with rude, vitriolic responses.

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