Dr. Sudit Ranade, the Yukon’s medical officer of health, isn’t saying there’s a summer outbreak of COVD-19 happening, but the virus certainly hasn’t gone away yet.

That’s the uptake of the most recent respiratory surveillance report commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Services.

The monthly report shows COVID-19 had spiked a little, but is now diminishing.

“There’s been a slightly increasing trend,” Ranade told The Yukon Star Monday.

He agreed there has been an uptick in cases, but isn’t too concerned, and said the public shouldn’t be either.

He said COVID, unlike the more familiar influenza, is not a seasonal affliction that largely disappears in the summer months.

Instead, it remains consistently and predictably active year-round, although the warm weather can provide a bit of a reprieve.

Currently, statistics indicate cases are starting to diminish, and the severity is not particularly high.

Ranade said the basic message to the public remains the same as it has been for more than a year.

The strategy is to treat COVID-19 as if it were a typical respiratory disease similar to influenza or the common cold.

There are likely other, untracked viruses floating around as well, Ranade suggested.

He’s heard anecdotally about Yukoners who have been ill for weeks or even months with cold or COVID-type symptoms, but there’s no indication COVID is responsible for the illness.

Ranade said there are many viruses, some of which haven’t been recognized, that could be causing the problem.