It may've been a while since you've had a common cold, but cases are starting to return, The Denver Channel reported. Now that most of us have un-masked and are starting to mix and mingle in public again, that means non-COVID respiratory viruses are spreading, even though it's off season. 

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Typically, we catch colds when the weather gets colder, but Sam Dominguez, an infectious disease physician from the Children's Hospital Colorado, said that they're starting to see an uptick in cases right now.

Viruses that we normally pass around were 'almost non-existent' in the winter because of masks, social distancing and extra COVID-19 precautions, Dominguez told The Denver Channel. Now, we've lost some of our immunity to those viruses as well. Handwashing is key here, along with wearing a mask if you feel like you have a respiratory virus.

Right now, the highly-contagious Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is also causing concern in Colorado, and here in Larimer County. Last week, Tim Gonzales from Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, urged residents to get vaccinated, because this variant is so contagious, and is a different strain than what has spread previously.

'This means that having had COVID-19 in the past is unlikely to offer protection against this new variant,' Gonzales said. 'Getting vaccinated now can significantly improve protection for yourself and for our community.'

As of Friday, June 25, over 2.8 million Coloradans were fully vaccinated. Colorado has a population of 5.8 million. The COVID-19 positivity rate is currently 2.45 percent, and 279 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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