COVID-19 cases are rising in Kern County as health officials report increased virus concentrations in wastewater, indicating community spread of a new variant called "Stratus."
The coronavirus subvariant XFG, known as "Stratus," is currently the predominant variant statewide and has been detected in the Central California region, according to Kern County Public Health officials.
Bakersfield resident Amber Esposito experienced the variant's impact firsthand when it infected her and her four children.
"The last three days it's been one positive test after the another, and it's basically just headaches, body aches, loss of taste and smell," Esposito said.
Paul Rzucidlo, assistant division director of health services for Kern County Public Health, said the summer spike in COVID cases follows a pattern that has emerged since the pandemic began.
"Since the pandemic, we've seen a spike in the summertime, which typically peaks in July-August and then the traditional spike that we see with other winter respiratory viruses in the winter time," Rzucidlo said.
According to the California Department of Public Health, approximately 100 COVID-related hospitalizations were reported in Central California as of mid-August.
While it remains unknown whether the Stratus variant is specifically present in Kern County, Rzucidlo explained how new variants typically gain dominance.
"This is typically what we see when a new variant comes, and that's how variants become more dominant than other variants because it just does a better job at infecting us, or it might be slightly enough different that our immune systems don't catch it right away, so it can infect us," Rzucidlo said.
Despite having what Rzucidlo described as a "competitive advantage" for spreading, the Stratus variant has not been linked to more severe disease. Symptoms remain similar to previous variants and include coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath.
Esposito expressed concern about current CDC guidelines that allow students to return to school while still testing positive for COVID, as long as they are fever-free.
"We're basically placed in a difficult position because when we keep our kids home to recover, even with doctors' notes, we receive truancy letters," Esposito said.
Kern Public Health recommends getting tested if you experience COVID symptoms, especially if you are at high risk for severe illness.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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