BA.5 variant’s spread sparks concerns about contagiousness, hospitalizations

BA.5 variant’s spread sparks concerns about contagiousness, hospitalizations Concerns are rising over a new omicron subvariant that is even more highly transmissible, called BA.5.  The new subvariant has risen to be a majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States and… vmorris The Hill

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BA.5 causes concern because of its increased contagiousness and because of its greater ability to evade the protection from vaccines and prior infection.   

Importantly, though, the vaccines still provide crucial protection against severe disease and death, especially for people who have received their booster shots.   

“There are concerning things about BA.5, but it doesn’t represent an entirely new threat that’s going to upend all of our protections,” said Josh Michaud, associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.   

The White House did not announce any major shift in strategy on Tuesday, instead pointing to continued use of booster shots and treatments like Pfizer’s Paxlovid antiviral pills as being effective even against the new subvariant.   

“It’s something that, A, we don’t panic on, B, we don’t let it disrupt our lives, but we take it seriously enough and utilize the tools that we have to mitigate,” Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases expert, said Tuesday.  

Still, some experts are calling for greater action from the administration, particularly around getting people boosted.   

Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research, wrote on Twitter that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should finally change the definition of “fully vaccinated” to include more than just the original two doses to highlight the need for booster shots.

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