A child wears a KN95 protective mask for kids in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022.(Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

As school districts across the country return from summer vacation health officials are reporting a COVID-19 surge, leading to temporary closures of schools in places like Texas, Kentucky and Alabama.

Experts say they expect the cases to rise in even more school systems, like New York City, which open after Labor Day. In some areas of the country, COVID cases are rising so much that hospitals are seeing more hospitalizations, with the state of Alabama is reporting a 300% increase.

Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to tell us what this means for us.