MILWAUKEE — Just as a new school year begins in Wisconsin and before vaccine booster shots become available, new data from the CDC this week showed hospitalizations tied to COVID-19 were up by more than 14% from the week before, a sign that strains of the virus are still circulating and potentially dangerous.

"What we're seeing is increased disease activity," said Dr. Ben Weston, an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Chief Health Policy Advisor for Milwaukee County. "We've seen an increase in hospitalizations, but not anything terribly dramatic— it really is just about more cases going on in the community."

As for future booster shots, Dr. Weston said Wisconsinites should start learning about them in a matter of weeks.

"We're looking at a late-September, early-October timeline that's anticipated for these new boosters to be coming out," Dr. Weston said. "For folks who haven't been boosted, you probably want to do that sooner rather than later."

Watch the full interview above.