Enough war. How about some cheery news?
New versions of omicron variant gaining ground in US
Omicron COVID-19 subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 represent an increasing amount of new infections in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though it’s unclear what the impact will be.
New estimates from the CDC show that for the week ending June 4, the two subvariants combined accounted for 13 percent of all new U.S. cases. That’s an increase from the combined 7.5 percent estimated for the week ending May 28.
During the week ending June 4, BA.5 accounted for an estimated 7.6 percent of cases and BA.4 accounted for 5.4 percent of cases, up from 4.2 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively, the previous week.
Data on BA.4 and BA.5 are limited, though early evidence suggests they are more infectious and may be able to evade some of the immunity people have acquired from being infected with other variants. There isn’t evidence to show they cause more severe disease.
It’s still unclear what the rise in the new variants means for the trajectory of the U.S. pandemic, though some public health experts think BA.4 and BA.5 will soon become the dominant subvariants and prolong the current wave of infections. The majority of cases right now are being driven by the omicron subvariants BA.2.12.1 and BA.2.
COVID-19 cases have risen in the U.S. to around 100,000 per day, though the real number could be as much as five times higher given that many go unreported.
There are also regional differences in the rise of the new subvariants. In the southern region comprised of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, BA.4 and BA. 5 account for about 22 percent of all infections.
Omicron COVID-19 subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 represent an increasing number of new infections in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), though it’s uncl…
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So if you already had omicron, can a new subvariant like BA.4 or BA.5 get you sick again?
It’s possible, especially if you were sickened with omicron back in December 2021 or January 2022 — six months and several subvariants ago.
Limited studies show BA.4 and BA.5 are likely to reinfect unvaccinated people whose only immunity from the virus comes from a prior infection with BA.1 (the first type of omicron).
The same studies showed vaccinated people appeared to be better protected against reinfection with BA.4 and BA.5, however, “protection derived from currently available vaccines does wane over time against the Omicron variant,” writes the ECDC.
A booster shot can help with that waning immunity, Inglesby said. Only one-third of Americans have received a booster shot against the virus.
These studies also only looked at prior protection from BA.1, and right now the U.S. is in the middle of a surge of BA.2 — yet another omicron strain.
“It’s possible BA.4 and BA.5 could create a surge on top of a surge, but it’s very difficult to know this because we don’t understand whether the collective immunity provided by BA.2.12.1 will protect against BA.4 and BA.5,” said Inglesby.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added two new subvariants to its online tracker: BA.4 and BA.5.
thehill.com