19/07/2022
BA.5 is driving up new cases, reinfections, and hospitalizations in the US. The CDC estimates that the omicron subvariant now accounts for more than 60% of all new Covid infections across the country.
The subvariant may be the most contagious version of the virus to date. A new study suggests it may be four times more vaccine-resistant than previous omicron subvariant BA.2, though there’s no evidence it causes more severe disease.
Scientists are now zeroing in on what’s making BA.5 so prevalent even in an era of widespread immunity. What they learn could help contain the current surge and counter the next one, potentially allowing them to devise booster vaccines that better shield against newer versions of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
