BA.5 already accounts for over half of new COVID cases in the US.
"BA.5 is an omicron variant of SARS-CoV2," Dr. Adalja tells POPSUGAR."It is likely a descendent of the BA.2 variant and has a cluster of mutations that make it very efficient at transmitting between people and avoiding some of the protection prior infection and vaccines provide." It's this combination of mutations that gives BA.5 its high degree of transmissibility.The symptoms of BA.5 aren't very different from other variants, Dr. Adalja says.
" So it's important to try to avoid getting COVID, even if you've already had it and recovered from it.Current vaccines work to"protect against what matters most," Dr. Adalja says. That includes severe disease, hospitalization, and death. Still, experts know that the"effectiveness of primary vaccination wanes over time against certain variants, including omicron," Dr.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UK's latest omicron wave being driven by BA.4 and BA.5 covid variantsThe latest coronavirus figures from the UK's Office for National Statistics show that around 2.7 million people had covid-19 in the week ending 29 June, as the highly transmissible omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 drive infections
Read more »
BA.4 and BA.5 COVID Symptoms: What to Watch For as Infections ClimbThe fastest-spreading COVID-19 subvariants yet, the two latest versions of omicron appear to evade protection from vaccines and previous infections more easily than any others before. As of July 2, the subvariant BA.5 was responsible for nearly 54% of COVID cases in the U.S. BA.4, a similar subvariant, accounted for nearly 17% more, according to the latest data from the…
Read more »
Omicron Subvariants BA.4, BA.5 Make Up 70% of COVID Variants in US: CDCThe fast-spreading BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages of Omicron are estimated to make up a combined 70.1% of the coronavirus variants in the United States as of July 2, the CDC said Tuesday.
Read more »
New COVID Variant BA.2.75 Raises Concerns in India and BeyondThe latest mutant has been spotted in several distant states in India, and appears to be spreading faster than other variants there.
Read more »
Highly Contagious BA.5 Variant Becomes Dominant In U.S. As Covid Cases RiseThe BA.5 strain—a subvariant of omicron—accounted for more than half of all U.S. coronavirus cases last week, as federal regulators encourage drugmakers to retool their vaccines to target new virus strains this fall.
Read more »
Is Omicron BA.5 ‘Worst Version’ Of Covid-19 Coronavirus Seen?Here are the 'immune escape' concerns about this subvariant that is now spreading in the U.S. and appears to be fueling a new wave in NYC.
Read more »