The continuous rise of Omicron subvariant BA.5 has federal officials on edge, given that the virus has better immune-evading abilities that could cause more breakthrough cases. Due to this, officials are planning to double on pandemic measures and renew their calls to consider a second booster dose for all adults.
During a press briefing on July 12, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinate Ashish Jha outlined a plan on how to counter BA.5 that has caused an estimated 65% of all COVID-19 cases in the US. They emphasized a stronger push to get Americans vaccinated and boosted and renewed encouragement for testing, wearing a mask, and improving indoor ventilation.
COVID-19 Cases in the US: Is Omicron Subvariant BA.5 More Dangerous?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the BA.5 variant is now the most dominant strain of COVID-19 in the US. Additionally, the data from New York state shows that reinfections have started trending upwards since late June.
There are over 31,000 hospitalized patients in the countries today due to the virus, increasing admissions up to 4.5% compared to a week ago. Current conditions suggest that both reinfections and hospitalizations are increasing.
Dr. Bob Wachter, the chair of the Department of Medicine of the University of California, San Francisco, said that BA.5 could be easily transmitted and partially sidestep some of the immunity people have before infections and vaccinations. So, how worried should people be about this variant?
NPR reported that so far, there is no evidence that the variant causes more serious illness and that despite its continuous rise, the impact of BA.5 is still low compared to last winter. Experts explain that this could be partly because the country is well-equipped.
Dr. Anna Durbin, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, noted that a combination of natural immunity and vaccinations gives people protection against the virus. She thinks that it helped thwart COVID-19, even the BA.5.
She added that the new booster shots are necessary as they are specifically designed to target Omicron and should be helpful in preventing serious illness and death.
Second Booster Dose Rollout Expected to Begin Soon
The federal government and the US FDA anticipate the roll-out of new COVID-19 vaccines this fall that targets the ancestral strain and the Omicron subvariants. According to ARS Technica, it will likely be released in October or November.
Like Jha, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has repeatedly said during a press briefing that getting a booster now does not preclude getting a bivalent booster dose this fall, given the interval in getting another shot.
"Currently, many Americans are under-vaccinated, meaning they are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines," Walensky said reminding people to exercise renewed caution about coronavirus, Click on Detroit reported. "Staying up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines provides the best protection against severe outcomes."
She encouraged the people to "get your boost." Walensky said they would continue to evaluate the data and reminded the public that they would be eligible for bivalent boost in the fall.
On the other hand, there is no clinical data on the efficacy of a second booster dose in healthy adults below 50 years old. More so, there is no clear data that the fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has any effect on future variant-targeting antiserum or booster.
Lastly, Americans have already been exposed to different COVID-19 variants, which is why health experts are pushing for expanding second booster access amid the increasing BA.5 cases.
RELATED ARTICLE: CDC Recorded BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron Sub Variants As Predominant Strains in US
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