U.S. health experts warn that the emerging highly infected coronavirus subvariant of Omicron, called BA.2, could soon lead to a new increase in coronavirus cases in the United States.
White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said BA.2 is about 50% to 60% more portable than the original Omicron, but does not appear to be more severe.
Healthcare professionals continue to emphasize that coronavirus vaccines and booster doses remain the best ways to prevent serious virus disease.
“This sub-variant of Omicron has increased transmission capability,” Fauci told ABC television on Sunday.
“However, when you look at the cases, they don’t look more severe and don’t seem to avoid immune reactions from both vaccines and previous infections.”
The option has already led to an increase in cases in China and parts of Europe. At this stage, it is estimated that this sub-variant of Omicron represents about 25% or 30% of new cases in the United States, but may become the most dominant option in the country, Fauci said.
He said he expected “an increase in Covid cases” due to BA.2, but not necessarily through a huge jump, as caused by other variants of the coronavirus. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently loosened mask recommendations for most Americans.
“We need to be prepared, Covid is not gone,” public health chief Vivek Murtie told Fox News. “Our focus should be on preparation, not panic.”
Vaccine maker Pfasier told CNBC that he also expected a “slight increase” in Covid cases in the United States because of Omicorn’s BA.2, but “not a big wave of infections.”
“I think we will continue to see low levels of infection in the summer. But before we get there, we will probably see some kind of influx of infections that Europeans are seeing right now, maybe not so pronounced,” Gottlieb said on Sunday. on CBS television.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 31,200 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, including 958 deaths. However, both indicators are significantly lower than at the beginning of the year.
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